3D Printing of Ceramic and Metallic Structures from Non-Toxic Materials

Safely and Rapidly Fabricates Mechanically Sound, Freeform Structures

This non-toxic, 3D printing material and technique rapidly builds mechanically sound ceramic and metallic structures by curing layers of non-toxic slurry with a laser or infrared lamp. The market for ceramic 3D printing was $116 million in 2020 and should grow to $384 million by 2025. The market for metallic 3D printing should reach $3.159 billion by 2024. Current ceramic and metallic 3D printing processes rely on the use of toxic compounds to form printable slurries, creating worker safety hazards and limiting the environments where ceramic and metallic 3D printing can be done.

Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a non-toxic, 3D printing material and technique that enables the rapid fabrication of mechanically sound ceramic or metallic structures without the safety hazards associated with current ceramic and metallic 3D printing methods.

Application

3D printing of mechanically sound ceramic and metallic structures from a non-toxic slurry that is cured with a laser or infrared lamp

Advantages

• Uses non-toxic slurry components prepared in water, eliminating the need for safety protocols for handling toxic materials and enabling safe ceramic and metallic 3D printing in more environments
• Employs the constant volume technique, preventing finished material shrinkage and allowing for the curing of large two-dimensional structures
• Remaining uncured slurry can be poured off and reused, reducing waste and lowering machining costs

Technology

A slurry consisting of non-toxic, water-soluble proteins and metallic or ceramic powders is spread in a thin layer and cured with a laser or infrared lamp with a photomask to produce a 2D structure with the desired dimensions. After building layers of cured material on top of each other, the remaining, un-cured slurry can be poured off and reused. Once the resulting 3D structure dries, it is stable for handling and considered mechanically sound.