Additive manufacturing of ceramics: A review

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) of ceramics is coming to an aera where the first industrial applications are becoming economically profitable. This review paper provides a survey of AMmethods reported in literature to shape ceramic components. It demonstrates that AM has produced ceramic parts that have no cracks or large pores and have mechanical properties close to those of conventionally produced ceramics. Crackand pore-free ceramics can be manufacturedbyoptimizing theAMprocess parameters orperforming extradensification steps after theAMprocess. It is also advisable to incorporate colloidal processing techniques in the AM process. Finally, the paper demonstrates that, especially forAMof ceramics, themulti-step indirectAMprocesses aremore appropriate to shape different types of ceramics, while the single-step direct AM processes can produce ceramic parts more rapidly.