Comprehending and optimising slurry behaviour characteristics of ceramics in additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing as extensively industrialized technique for modern manufacturing scenarios has many arenas of unexplored applications. One of them being ceramic manufacturing. Ceramics due to their thermal, electrical insulation or visual appeal along with chemical inertness have been used in abundance throughout manufacturing industries for making components or their sub parts. Most of the additive manufacturing technologies such as stereolithographic, selective laser sintering, selective laser melting and so on require ceramic slurry formation in the first place, handling which is a tedious task. The slurry material having a separate character to itself , showing drastic effects to miniature of the changes such as solid loading, viscoelasticity, temperature modifications, grain size and structure or rheological parameters. Thus for a successful end product a sustainable base coat has to be provided. Not only the slurry, every kind of ceramic from porcelain to refractory ceramics showcase a different parametric fluctuation when subjected to alternate conditions. Additionally, additives such as binders, dispersants or their combinations help in making the material easily manufacturable. Thus prerequisite study before indulging into industrial manufacturing is essential to prevent any mishap. The paper deals with the characteristic appeals and their potential optimizations if possible in detail.