Ceramic Additive Manufacturing With Tailored Microstructure Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing ceramic-containing articles fail to efficiently address the need for complex shapes under extreme thermal conditions, particularly in gas turbine components, due to high costs and complexity of traditional machining processes.
Innovation Solution
An additive manufacturing method using a ceramic precursor and curable resin mixture, with optional coupling agents, is employed to create ceramic-containing articles by layering and curing with radiation, followed by controlled phase alteration to achieve desired microstructures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional machining methods are used to manufacture ceramic containing articles with complex shapes, then the articles can be produced, but the manufacturing process becomes complex, requires extreme temperatures, and is prohibitively expensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental manufacturing approach from subtractive machining to additive manufacturing, altering the process parameters from mechanical removal to layer-by-layer deposition. This enables complex geometries to be built directly without the constraints of traditional machining, reducing process complexity while maintaining shape capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials consisting of ceramic precursors mixed with curable resin, allowing the material to be deposited in a workable state and then converted to final ceramic form. This composite approach enables additive manufacturing of ceramic-containing articles that would be impossible to machine from solid ceramic
2Productivity
If traditional machining methods are used to create complex interior geometries and end cuts, then the articles can be manufactured, but the production becomes prohibitively expensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by depositing all necessary material layers in the desired final geometry during the additive manufacturing process itself, including complex interior geometries and end cuts. This eliminates the need for subsequent complex machining operations, significantly reducing production time while maintaining manufacturing capability
3Reliability
If ceramic materials are used to create articles suitable for extreme thermal conditions, then the articles can withstand extreme thermal cycling, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transitions by depositing ceramic precursors in a curable resin matrix that can be easily manipulated, then converting this precursor-containing structure into final ceramic form through controlled thermal processing. This phase change approach maintains reliability for extreme thermal conditions while simplifying the manufacturing process to a single additive manufacturing operation followed by uniform thermal treatment
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables the cost-effective and efficient production of ceramic articles with tailored microstructures suitable for extreme thermal conditions, reducing production time and complexity.
Implementation Method 1
curable resin, with optional coupling agents, is employed to create ceramic-containing articles by layering and curing with radiation
Implementation Method 2
Typical additive manufacturing processes apply thermal energy to a material bed to iteratively create layers of a component out of the base material
Implementation Method 3
followed by controlled phase alteration to achieve desired microstructures
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
A method for additively manufacturing a ceramic containing article includes selecting a ceramic precursor (110) and a curable resin (120), determining a ratio of the ceramic precursor (110) to the curable resin (120) required to achieve a desired ceramic microstructure, mixing the ceramic precursor (110) and the curable resin (120) according to the determined ratio, and iteratively building an article by sequentially applying a layer of the mixture and curing the layer using an additive manufacturing machine (10).