Photo-curable Ceramic Resin for Additive Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in additive manufacturing of ceramic components, particularly silicon-containing carbides, lies in the difficulty of sintering highly refractory non-oxide ceramics due to the need for high temperatures and sintering aids, which is not conducive to forming high-performance components like those required in aerospace applications.
Innovation Solution
A photo-curable liquid composition comprising a polymethylvinylsilane (PMVS) resin and a photo-initiator additive, which are reactive upon exposure to radiation within an overlapping wavelength range, allowing for the polymerization and subsequent pyrolysis to form silicon-containing carbide ceramics, enabling the use of additive manufacturing techniques like stereolithography and fused deposition modeling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional sintering methods are used for highly refractory non-oxide ceramics, then ceramic components can be formed, but high temperatures and sintering aids are required which complicates the process and reduces component performance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the fundamental processing parameters by using photo-curable liquid composition instead of traditional powder sintering. The composition contains ceramic particles suspended in a photo-curable resin that can be cured at low temperatures (below the sintering temperature of the ceramic), eliminating the need for high-temperature sintering and sintering aids while producing high-performance ceramic components
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the thermal-mechanical sintering process with a photochemical curing process. Instead of using high temperatures and mechanical pressure to sinter ceramic particles, the patent uses light-induced polymerization of the resin matrix to bind ceramic particles together, forming green bodies that can be subsequently processed at lower temperatures
2Ease of manufacture
If suspension of ceramic particles is used for additive manufacturing, then ceramic components can be formed, but the approach is not conducive to forming highly refractory non-oxide ceramics due to sintering challenges
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite material system consisting of ceramic particles suspended in a photo-curable resin matrix. This composite approach allows the ceramic particles to be distributed uniformly throughout the liquid composition, enabling additive manufacturing processes to deposit and form complex ceramic geometries that would be difficult to achieve with traditional ceramic processing methods
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary action by pre-forming a green body through photo-curing of the liquid composition before final ceramic processing. The photo-curable resin binds ceramic particles into a stable green body structure that maintains the desired geometry and can be handled, transported, and processed further without requiring high-temperature sintering at the additive manufacturing stage
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 approach facilitates the formation of high-performance silicon-containing carbide ceramics by curing the composition to form a green body, followed by pyrolysis, thereby overcoming the sintering challenges and enabling the production of complex geometries with enhanced refractory properties.
Implementation Method 1
The PMVS and the photo-initiator additive of the composition are reactive to polymerize upon exposure to radiation having a wavelength in the overlapping wavelength range
Implementation Method 2
followed by pyrolysis, thereby overcoming the sintering challenges
Data Source
AI summary
A photo-curable liquid composition for additive manufacturing of silicon-containing carbide ceramic includes a polymethylvinylsilane (PMVS) resin that has photo-reactivity over a first photo-wavelength absorption range and a photo-initiator additive mixed with the PMVS resin. The photo-initiator additive has photo-reactivity over a second photo-wavelength absorption range that has an overlapping wavelength range with the first photo-wavelength absorption range. The PMVS and the photo-initiator additive are reactive to polymerize upon exposure to radiation having a wavelength in the overlapping wavelength range.