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Materials Science in Additive Manufacturing Ceramic vat photopolymerization

dimensional accuracy. Consequently, careful optimization A
of suspension formulation is essential for achieving the
necessary compromise between ceramic content and
processing stability for successful stereolithographic
fabrication.

The DLP-based 3D printing process has been extensively
used to produce ceramic parts. It has been utilized for the B
fabrication of high-density (97–99 %) complex ceramic
parts of zirconia and alumina having Vickers hardness
of 13.1 and 17.5 GPa, respectively. 48,49 VPP 3D-printed
ceramics have been extensively investigated for biomedical
applications. 50-52 A team at Vienna University has developed
a commercial DLP-based system, which was named
lithography-based ceramic manufacturing (LCM), used for C
the 3D printing of advanced high-performance ceramics.
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They have fabricated complex ceramic structures of very
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fine features (25 × 25 × 25 μm ) of alumina and bioglass with
relative densities above 90% and good mechanical strength.
Other ceramic components of zirconia and β-tricalcium D
phosphate have also been successfully fabricated with solid
loadings of up to 50 vol.%. Cellular ceramic structures
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of fine feature sizes have been fabricated for applications
such as honeycomb catalyst supports, heat exchangers,
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and metamaterial structures with negative Poisson’s
ratio. Chen’s group at Shenzhen University has also
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manufactured various porous structural components using Figure 6. Various components prepared via digital light processing using
DLP-based 3D printing and a number of ceramic slurries, different ceramic slurries: (A) SiC/SiOC composite lattice structures
including SiC/SiOC composites, Li SiO , cordierite, and before and after sintering; (B) Li SiO lattice structures; (C) cordierite
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4
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luminescent ceramics, 57-59 particularly for the fabrication honeycomb complex structures; (D) luminescent ceramics.
of lattice structures with improved performance, as shown 24,71
in Figure 6. patterning and conversion to ceramic via pyrolysis.
These advanced ceramics, synthesized through polymer
Light scattering by ceramic particles presents a precursor conversion, exhibit superior performance
fundamental challenge in SL, causing lateral curing characteristics with tunable functional properties that
resolution degradation and altered interlayer bonding can be precisely engineered by modifying the pre-ceramic
characteristics. The achievable curing depth depends on polymer formulation. 72-77 Pre-ceramic polymers offer
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multiple factors including particle size distribution, solid superior compatibility with printing inks, effectively
loading percentage, irradiation intensity, and refractive addressing common challenges related to material non-
index properties. Crucially, minimizing the refractive uniformity and optical interference that typically occur in
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index difference between the ceramic filler and resin matrix ceramic particle suspensions. This enhanced formulation
is vital for achieving high-resolution features, as significant enables the fabrication of ceramic components with
mismatches can compromise printability. 61,62
exceptional surface finish, fine feature resolution, and
This technology has enabled the production of both significant dimensional ratios. Eckel et al. developed
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dense and porous ceramic components with complex a UV-curable pre-ceramic polymer system through the
architectures for diverse applications ranging from combination of mercaptopropyl-methylsiloxane and
foundry molds to electronic devices and biomedical vinylmethoxysiloxane, incorporating three key additives:
implants. 63-66 Recent advancements have focused on three a free-radical photoinitiator, radical inhibitor, and
key areas: suspension formulation refinement, printing UV-absorbing component. The research team successfully
precision enhancement, and optimized thermal processing employed this resin formulation to produce intricate SiOC
protocols. 67-70 ceramic architectures through linear laser SL, followed by
Recently, pre-ceramic polymers instead of ceramic pyrolysis at 1000°C under argon protection. Their findings
suspensions have received great attention due to their direct demonstrate that UV-reactive pre-ceramic monomers

Volume 4 Issue 3 (2025) 11 doi: 10.36922/MSAM025200031