Influence of Alumina Grade on Sintering Properties and Possible Application in Binder Jetting Additive Technology

Maciej Kwiatkowski; Joanna Marczyk; Piotr Putyra; Michał Kwiatkowski; Szymon Przybyła; Marek Hebda

doi:10.3390/ma16103853

Influence of Alumina Grade on Sintering Properties and Possible Application in Binder Jetting Additive Technology

Materials (Basel). 2023 May 19;16(10):3853. doi: 10.3390/ma16103853.

Authors

Maciej Kwiatkowski^{1

2}, Joanna Marczyk¹, Piotr Putyra³, Michał Kwiatkowski², Szymon Przybyła^{1

2}, Marek Hebda¹

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Materials Engineering and Physics, Cracow University of Technology, Warszawska 24, 31-155 Kraków, Poland.
² Createc Sp. z o.o., E. Kwiatkowskiego 9, 37-450 Stalowa Wola, Poland.
³ Research Network Lukasiewicz-Krakow Institute of Technology, ul. Zakopiańska 73, 30-418 Kraków, Poland.

Abstract

Alumina is one of the most popular ceramic materials widely used in both tooling and construction applications due to its low production cost, and high properties. However, the final properties of the product depend not only on the purity of the powder, but also, e.g., on its particle size, specific surface area, and the production technology used. These parameters are particularly important in the case of choosing additive techniques for the production of details. Therefore, the article presents the results of comparing five grades of Al₂O₃ ceramic powder. Their specific surface area (via Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) methods), particle size distribution, and phase composition by X-ray diffraction (XRD) were determined. Moreover, the surface morphology was characterized by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique. The discrepancy between generally available data and the results obtained from measurements has been indicated. Moreover, the method of spark plasma sintering (SPS), equipped with the registration system of the position of the pressing punch during the process, was used to determine the sinterability curves of each of the tested grades of Al₂O₃ powder. Based on the obtained results, a significant influence of the specific surface area, particle size, and the width of their distribution at the beginning of the Al₂O₃ powder sintering process was confirmed. Furthermore, the possibility of using the analyzed variants of powders for binder jetting technology was assessed. The dependence of the particle size of the powder used on the quality of the printed parts was demonstrated. The procedure presented in this paper, which involves analyzing the properties of alumina varieties, was used to optimize the Al₂O₃ powder material for binder jetting printing. The selection of the best powder in terms of technological properties and good sinterability makes it possible to reduce the number of 3D printing processes, which makes it more economical and less time-consuming.

Keywords: 3D printing; Al2O3; SPS; particle size; sinterability; specific surface area.

Grants and funding

This work has been supported by the European Regional Development Fund under the Smart Growth Operational Programme, funded by the National Centre for Research and Development in Poland, as part of the grant Fast Track, within the framework of the grant: “Research and development aimed at implementing LPT parts of PW1000 engine using new generation ceramic filters manufactured in 3D printing process” grant no. POIR.01.01.01-00-0631/18.