Metal-Ceramic Composite Lattice Structures Using 3D Printed Sand Molds and Cores

Binder Jetting of sand molds for metal casting provides a scalable and efficient means of fabricating large metal parts with complex geometric features made possible only by Additive Manufacturing. For example, in earlier work, the authors demonstrated the use of Binder Jetting to fabricate complex mold structures for casting large-scale, lightweight metallic lattice structures and sandwich panels that could not be made through either traditional sand casting or through other direct metal AM techniques. In this paper, the authors demonstrate the fabrication of metal-ceramic composite lattice structures via embedding ceramic tiles into the printed mold package. The addition of ceramic tiles can add resistance to penetrators and/or radiation shielding to the lightweight lattice structures, which can be tailored for energy absorbing performance. 3D printed mold and core designs for metal and metal-ceramic composite lattice castings are described along with 3D printed mold designs for encapsulating individual metal or ceramic tiles.