Ceramic Stereolithography for Investment Casting and Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Ceramic green bodies can be created using stereolithography methods by using an ultraviolet curable suspension of ceramic powders in place of the usual resin -a "ceramic resin". Weare developing ceramic resins from hydryoxyapatite ceramics, to enable custom made ceramic implants by SLA, and from silica and alumina, to enable metal casting molds by SLA. We demonstrate SLA ofsilica, a model refractory for metal casting molds, and SLA of alumina, which present the rheological behavior and UV curing properties of several "ceramic resins", and discuss silica parts made on an SLA-250.