Metallic slurry preparation and printability assessment for material extrusion additive manufacturing

Z. Li; X.G. Hu; Y. Zhou; W.Y. Qu; L.J. Wen; X.X. Meng; Z. Xu; C. Guo; H.X. Lu; Q. Zhu

Additive Manufacturing Letters (Feb 2024)

Metallic slurry preparation and printability assessment for material extrusion additive manufacturing

Z. Li,
X.G. Hu,
Y. Zhou,
W.Y. Qu,
L.J. Wen,
X.X. Meng,
Z. Xu,
C. Guo,
H.X. Lu,
Q. Zhu

Affiliations

Z. Li: Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Additive Manufacturing of High-performance materials, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Department of Mechanical Engineering Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
X.G. Hu: Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Additive Manufacturing of High-performance materials, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Corresponding authors.
Y. Zhou: Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Additive Manufacturing of High-performance materials, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
W.Y. Qu: BYD Auto Industry Company Limited, Shenzhen 518118, China
L.J. Wen: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic University of Milan, 20156 Milan, Italy
X.X. Meng: Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Additive Manufacturing of High-performance materials, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Z. Xu: Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Additive Manufacturing of High-performance materials, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
C. Guo: Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Additive Manufacturing of High-performance materials, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
H.X. Lu: Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Additive Manufacturing of High-performance materials, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Q. Zhu: Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Additive Manufacturing of High-performance materials, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Corresponding authors.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 8
p. 100189

Abstract

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Material extrusion additive manufacturing of thermoplastics is so advanced due to the tunable rheological properties and hence a suitable printability, which is deficient for metals. Even though semi-solid modification and binder indirect modification are used to realize metal extrusion printing, the uncontrollable flow behavior and the metallurgical defects make it challenging to bridge this gap. In this study, mixed powder remelting and printability assessment were first proposed for producing metallic slurry with pre-designed microstructure and suitable printability without adding fillers or polymer carriers. Specifically, the hypoeutectic Sn-Bi metallic slurry was obtained by remelting the mixed powder composed of SnBi58 powder and pure Sn powder. The microstructural characteristics at different temperatures were investigated, demonstrating the ability of microstructure predesign. Furthermore, the printability, including stability, extrudability, and buildability, was evaluated by an advanced rheometer. The combined slurry preparation and printability assessment provides a reliable method for parameters improvement to obtain the structural fidelity.

Published in Additive Manufacturing Letters

ISSN: 2772-3690 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Technology: Technology (General): Industrial engineering. Management engineering
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/additive-manufacturing-letters/

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