Additive Manufacturing of Silicon Carbide Based Ceramic Composites

Conference Abstract: In modern applications, there is a constant demand for high-performance components. Silicon Carbide (SiC), an advanced ceramic material, has exceptional physical, chemical, thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties, making it suitable for many applications, such as aerospace, defense, and automotive. The growing need for advanced ceramic materials and their functional components requires advanced manufacturing technologies to meet specific applications. However, high-quality ceramic components are often challenging to fabricate because of the inherent physical and chemical properties of ceramics. Therefore, the fabrication of high-quality advanced ceramic materials and their products necessitates the adoption of appropriate advanced manufacturing technologies that can be well-suited for diverse applications. Additive Manufacturing (AM) has numerous advantages compared to other manufacturing technologies, such as the flexibility to modify designs, accommodate complex geometries, save materials, shorten production time for prototypes, and reduce costs. Integrating advanced ceramic material development and AM techniques has drawn significant attention as it overcomes the limitations and challenges of conventional fabrication approaches. This research focuses on developing SiC-based ceramic composites using the Direct Ink Writing (DIW) technique. The results showed that the 3D-printed SiC composite components exhibited reduced shrinkage and enhanced mechanical properties. This research demonstrated the potential of the DIW technique for the material development and fabrication of high-performance SiC-based ceramic composites.