Reinforcement effect in printing precision and sintering performance for liquid crystal display stereolithography additive manufacturing of alumina ceramics

Liquid crystal display (LCD) stereolithography additive manufacturing has been introduced into the fabrication of ceramic parts, which offers an innovative, complex structure, low production cost and short cycle time. However, the use of this method is still limited due to the poor printing accuracy resulting from the light scattering effect of ceramic slurry and the collapse of heteromorphic components sintering at low temperatures. To overcome this situation, in this study, titania (TiO2) is designed as a dual-function key additive to improve the dimensional accuracy and sintering performance of Al2O3 ceramics 3D printing molds because of its unique light absorption and sintering properties. The shrinkage in three dimensions, open porosity, bulk density, flexural strength, and compressive strength are determined for the sintered ceramic. The experiment results show that the size of the printed cube gradually decreases and approaches the origin with the TiO2 content increasing. Furthermore, the densification of ceramics sintering at 1200 °C is enhanced, which is advantageous to the preservation of the complex structure. This study also covers the process for manufacturing Al2O3 ceramic parts with complex construction and good dimensional stability, which is applied in various applications.