Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Freeze-Form Extrusion Fabrication Of Ceramics, Tieshu Huang, Michael S. Mason, Greg Hilmas, Ming-Chuan Leu

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A novel, environmentally friendly solid freeform fabrication method called Freeze-form Extrusion Fabrication (FEF) has been developed for the fabrication of ceramic-based components. The method is based on deposition of ceramic pastes using water as the media. The ceramic solids loading can be 50 vol. % or higher and initial studies have focused on the use of aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃). The FEF system components and their interaction are examined, and the main process parameters affecting part geometry defined. 3-D shaped components have been fabricated by extrusion deposition of the ceramic paste in a layer-by-layer fashion. The feasibility …