Additive Manufacturing to Produce Complex 3D Ceramic Parts

Attempts to improve the performance of ceramic parts have recently led to advances in their design and in the processes used to tailor these parts. Thus, Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies, initially developed in the polymers and metals industries, have become of increasing interest for shaping ceramic parts. Among AM techniques, photopolymerization (referred to as stereolithography (SLA) and micro-stereolithography) makes it possible to reach high accuracy that matches the design requirements for new applications of ceramics in a wide range of fields. The development by means of (micro)-stereolithography of complex 3D ceramic parts with improved performance requires the mastering of various parameters linked to the inorganic-organic system involved in this processing route. This paper reports on some recent achievements in the production of ceramics using photopolymerization. Some examples of the work performed at the SPCTS laboratory to produce complex 3D ceramic parts for applications in the fields of information and communication technologies, healthcare and jewellery are presented.