Casting uniform ceramics with direct coagulation

Abstract

Today complex-shaped ceramic parts are mass fabricated by many different methods, two of which are slip casting and injection molding. The selection of the appropriate technique is governed by the geometric shape, the number of pieces to be manufactured, and the chemistry of the ceramic. Both slip casting and injection molding introduce imperfections in the green part, which lead to inhomogeneous microstructures in the sintered parts. A new fabrication method, direct coagulation casting (DCC), may be suitable for the mass production of complex ceramic parts with high strength and reliability. In DCC, an aqueous suspension is coagulated by a change in pH or an increase in ionic strength after casting, producing a rigid green body. The use of DCC can avoid most of the limitations of conventional shaping techniques, and it can be applied to a large variety of ceramic powders, sols, and polymers, alone or in combination.