Development of a pre-ceramic suspension for free form fabrication of ceramic parts by stereolithography

Laser Stereolithography represents one the most widely used processes for rapid prototyping with new equipments and materials covering each year new applications. Recently the application of stereolithography to the production of ceramic objects for engineering and biomedical applications has been proposed. In this work the development of UV curable pre-ceramic suspensions for free form fabrication of alumino-silicate ceramic parts by stereolithography is presented. The ceramic green is obtained in a stereolithographic system operating with a He-Cd laser (325nm). The suspensions is characterised by at least 50% by volume of powder content and by a viscosity similar to that one of commercial resins. The building of ceramic objects is described in detail for each stage of the process. Finally, some characterisation of the macroscopic properties and microstructure of samples is also presented.