How Can CIM Benefit from Additive Manufacturing?

In the field of ceramic processing, there is a strong need for the introduction of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies. Tools for ceramic injection molding (CIM) are expensive and require significant lead times which severely restrict the suitability of CIM for the production of small scale series or customized products. These are actually perfect conditions for the implementation of AM technologies; however, so far no adequate prototyping technology was available. The main reason for that are the high demands on high-performance ceramics - these materials are used where other materials fail, thus the quality and the reliability of the parts are crucial. In this paper a novel AMT-approach is presented, which is capable of producing strong, dense and accurate ceramic parts via a photopolymerization process, namely the Lithography-based Ceramic Manufacturing (LCM). For alumina a theoretical density of over 99,4 % and 4-point bending strength of 430 MPa could already be realized. Moreover, due to its layer-by-layer approach, the LCM technology provides the opportunity to shape highly complex and intricate geometries that cannot be realized by conventional means. Holes with a diameter of 200 mu m and a wall thickness of down to 150 mu m could be realized by this technology to date. These characteristics render the LCM technology a capable addition to conventional processing techniques in the field of ceramics.