According to a survey report released by well-known market research company MARKETS ANDMARKETS (M & M), the global scale of the 3D printed ceramics market is expected to grow from US $ 27.8 million in 2016 to US $ 131.5 million in 2021. The compound annual growth rate during the period (CAGR) ) Will be as high as 29.6%.
The report also shows that up to now, the region with the largest 3D printed ceramics market share is still North America, and is expected to continue to lead; Europe is second, and Asia Pacific is expected to come later, sitting in the next 5 years with the highest growth rate in the world. The ceramic 3D printing market, which mainly includes the ceramic powder material market for 3D printing, the 3D printing ceramic product market, and related equipment and technology markets, has huge development potential.
Detailed ceramic 3D printing technology
The 3D printing of ceramic parts includes the processes of configuring ceramic paste, drawing and slicing 3D models, 3D printing molding, sintering, etc., which can directly generate computerized data based on computer graphics data without the need for primitive embryos and molds, by adding materials. , Simplifying the product manufacturing process, shortening the resulting development cycle, improving efficiency and reducing costs.
3D printing ceramic process
At present, ceramic 3D printing molding technology can be mainly divided into inkjet printing technology (IJP), fused precipitation technology (FDM), layered solid manufacturing technology (LOM), selective laser sintering technology (SLS), and stereo light curing technology (SLA). Wait. Ceramic parts printed using these techniques can be degreased and sintered to obtain ceramic parts. According to different molding methods and raw materials, each printing technology has its own advantages and disadvantages, and there is also a gap in development.
1. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
The fused deposition modeling method was successfully developed by the American scholar Scott Crump in 1988. It uses thermoplastic filaments as raw materials. The filaments are sprayed out of the nozzle after melting through a liquefier that can move in the XY direction. Parts are stacked line by line and layer by layer. The raw materials used in FDM are polypropylene, ABS casting paraffin, etc.
FDM has the advantages of low cost, simple structure, high utilization efficiency of raw materials and no pollution by toxic gases or chemicals, but it also has obvious stripes on the surface of the prepared prototype, low strength in the direction perpendicular to the cross section, and relatively fast molding speed. Slow, the nozzle is prone to clogging, the disadvantage of inconvenient maintenance.
2. Direct Writing Free Forming (DIW)
Direct-write free-form technology prepares the ceramic into a ceramic suspension with curing characteristics. The computer-controlled slurry conveying device on the Z axis moves in the XY plane, while the ceramic suspension is extruded from the needle. It can be cured under the effect of curing factors such as heat and radiation, and the ceramic parts blanks are formed layer by layer.
DIW has the advantages of no UV and laser radiation, and can be molded at normal temperature; it can produce high-density sintered bodies, but it also has poor stability of water-based ceramic suspensions and short storage cycles; high stability of organic-based ceramic slurry , Long storage period, but the need to increase the low temperature debinding process, the disadvantage of high manufacturing costs.
3. Inkjet printing technology (IJP)
The inkjet printing method was developed by Evans and Edirisingle of Brunel University. It sprays a suspension containing nano-ceramic powder directly from a nozzle to deposit ceramic pieces. Currently used ceramic materials are ZrO2, TiO2, Al2O3 and so on.
IJP has the advantages of simple molding principle, low print head cost, and easy industrialization; however, the inkjet print head is clogged, and the printing height is limited, and the internal porous structure model cannot be printed. It also requires uniform powder particle size distribution, good fluidity and high temperature Chemically stable.
4. Three-dimensional printing process (3DP)
Three-dimensional printing is developed by MIT. First, the powder is spread on a workbench, and the adhesive is sprayed to a selected area through a nozzle to bond the powders together to form a layer. Then, the workbench is lowered and filled with powder. Then repeat the above process until the entire part is made. At present, ceramic powders such as zirconia, zircon sand, alumina, silicon carbide and silicon oxide are used as raw materials.
3DP has the advantage of being able to form ceramic parts on a large scale at a lower cost, but also has the disadvantage that the strength of the part is limited due to the limited bonding strength of the adhesive, and it is difficult to obtain ceramic devices with excellent mechanical properties.
5. Laser selective sintering / melting (SLS / SLM)
The idea of SLM was originally proposed by the German Fraunhofer Institute in 1995. The principle of SLS and SLM is similar to that of 3D printing technology, and the adhesive is replaced by a laser beam. Before the high power density laser laser beam starts scanning, the horizontal powder spreading roller will first spread the metal powder on the substrate in the processing room, and then the laser beam will selectively melt the powder on the substrate according to the contour information of the current layer to process the current The outline of the layer is then transferred to the next layer for processing, and the layer is processed until the entire part is processed.
The SLS / SLM process generally uses powders of plastics, waxes, ceramics, metals or their composites. It has the advantage of preparing complex ceramic parts without support, but there are also ceramic products that are limited by the laying density of the adhesive. The problem of low density.
6. Light curing rapid prototyping technology (SLA)
SLA technology is used to achieve single-layer curing by scanning exposure of laser. Through the ultraviolet laser beam, according to the designed original layer cross section, the ceramic photosensitive resin mixed liquid focused in the working tank is solidified point by point, from point to line, from line to surface. After the surface is solidified in the xy direction, the 3D printed ceramic parts are completed layer by layer by moving the lifting table in the z axis direction.
SLA has the advantage of high density and high density after sintering of ceramic parts. However, there are problems in post-processing and secondary curing. In addition, SLA is difficult to process ceramic materials with high refractive index.
7. Laminated solid manufacturing (LOM)
In the lamination stack manufacturing process, the foil coated with hot melt on one side is heated by a heat roller, and the materials composed of paper, ceramic foil, metal foil and the like are bonded together. Then the upper laser layered the data according to the CAD model, cut the foil into the inner and outer contours of the manufactured part with a laser beam, and then laid a new layer of foil, repeating the above process until the entire part was printed.
LOM has the advantages of fast forming speed, suitable for manufacturing layered complex structural parts, and a relatively simple post-processing process. However, there is also an inevitable phenomenon of a large amount of material waste. The utilization rate needs to be improved. At the same time, the laser cutting used in the printing process is increased. Printing costs.
Review and Outlook
The emergence of ceramic 3D printing technology has overturned the traditional manufacturing model, and has great potential in terms of complex structure, integrated manufacturing, cost reduction and shortening the development cycle. It has broken the limitation of traditional ceramic processing technology, and has been affected by many scholars and entrepreneurs. attention.
At present, foreign manufacturers of ceramic-based 3D printing materials mainly include 3DSystems in the United States, Tethon 3D and Viridis3D, and Lithioz in Australia. Well-known domestic companies include Beijing Taier Times, Hunan Huashu Hi-Tech, Wuhan Sanwei, Beijing Shiwei, Zhejiang Xunshi, Shenzhen Changlang, AVIC Maite and so on.
Global and China 3D Printing Industry Scale, 2012-2017 (Unit: USD 100 million)
Relevant data shows that there are nearly 200 domestic companies engaged in 3D printing, 70% are concentrated in the field of desktop printing, while there are 40-50 companies engaged in industrial printer production and research and development, 30 companies engaged in metal printing, and bioprinting. There are probably close to ten companies, and there are about twenty or thirty companies engaged in material printing. Although in terms of the number of enterprises, China can already compete with foreign companies in the United States, but there is still a large gap in terms of comprehensive strength.
At present, the gap between 3D printing development at home and abroad:
1) Slow industrialization and insufficient market demand;
2) The level of rapid manufacturing of 3D printed products in the United States is higher than that in China;
3) Sintered materials, especially metal materials, have better quality and performance than us;
4) There is still a certain gap in the process of laser sintering ceramic powder and metal powder;
5) The income structure of domestic enterprises is single, and they mainly rely on selling 3D printing equipment, while the American companies are diversified, and equipment, services and materials each basically account for 1/3 of sales revenue.
Looking into the future, 3D printing is based on digitalization and networking, and is characterized by personalization and short processes. It realizes new manufacturing methods such as direct manufacturing, deskside manufacturing, and batch customization. I believe that 3D printing technology will definitely be in the near future. Make a difference in ceramics