Eventos Anais de eventos
COBEM 2023
27th International Congress of Mechanical Engineering
A REVIEW OF METALLIC BINDER JETTING PROCESSES WITH THERMAL INKJET HEADS
Submission Author:
Rodrigo Pulido Arce , PR , Brazil
Co-Authors:
Rodrigo Pulido Arce, Adele Cagnato Conte, Bruno Benegra Denadai , Neri Volpato, José Foggiatto
Presenter: Rodrigo Pulido Arce
doi://10.26678/ABCM.COBEM2023.COB2023-1447
Abstract
Due to its versatility, Binder Jetting (BJT) has allowed for obtaining complex components using binders to agglomerate material particles spread in a bed. It can manufacture several materials, including metals, which demand a subsequent sintering stage. BJT operates with in-liquid or in-bed binding agents. Generally, systems that work with in-liquid binders have piezoelectric inkjet heads that handle fluids with higher viscosity and surface tension. In turn, thermal inkjet heads are cheaper but have limitations to jet more viscous fluids. This paper contributes to the literature by presenting an integrative review of studies that used BJT with thermal heads to manufacture metallic parts. The literature indicates a trend towards adopting piezoelectric BJT processes as they eliminate an extra step for feedstock preparation. However, jetting water-based solutions and solvents is faster and easier than binder solutions. Also, in-bed binders allow users to control both porosity and mechanical properties. For metal powders, results showed that not all demand an in-bed binder to be printed, such as the Inconel® and some copper composites. Standard in-bed binders include polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and organic compounds like dextrin, maltodextrin, sugar, sucrose, and cornstarch. Water-based compounds with humectants and polymeric surfactants are jetted to activate the binders. Finally, the research demonstrates the importance of studying metallurgy to understand the role of the powder properties, the formulations, and the different approaches when designing a new BJT process.
Keywords
Binder Jetting, thermal inkjet heads, in-bed binders, metallic parts, metal-binder powder mixes, metal-binder systems
