A systematic study on impact of binder formulation on green body strength of vat-photopolymerisation 3D printed silica ceramics used in investment casting

Additive ceramics manufacturing with vat-photopolymerisation (VP) is a developing field, and the need for suitable printing materials hinders its fast growth. Binder mixtures significantly influence the mechanical properties of printed ceramic bodies by VP, considering their rheological properties, curing performances and green body characteristics. Improving mechanical characteristics and reducing cracks during printing and post-processes is mainly related to binder formulations. The study aims to develop a binder formulation to provide the printed ceramic specimens with additional green strength. The impact on mechanical properties (ultimate tensile strength, flexural strength, Young’s and strain at breakpoint), viscosity and cure performance of Urethane Acrylate (UA) and thermoplastic Polyether Acrylate (PEA) oligomers to monofunctional N-Vinylpyrrolidone (NVP), 1,6-Hexanediol Diacrylate (HDDA) and Tri-functional Photocentric 34 (PC34) monomers were investigated under varying concentrations. The best mechanical characteristic was showcased when the PC34 was replaced with 20–30 wt.% of UA in the organic medium. The Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and sintering test outcomes revealed that increasing the content of NVP in the organic medium (above 15 wt.%) leads to uncontrolled thermal degradation during debinding and defects on ceramic parts after sintering. The negative effect of UA on the viscosity of ceramic-loaded mixtures was controlled by eliminating the PC34 compound with NVP and HDDA, and optimum mechanical properties were achieved at 15 wt.% of NVP and 65 wt.% of HDDA. PEA is added to provide additional flexibility to the ceramic parts. It was found that strain and other mechanical parameters peaked at 15 wt.% of PEA. The study formulated the most suitable binder formulation on the green body strength of printing silica ceramics as 50 wt.% HDDA, 20 wt.% Urethane Acrylate, 15 wt.% NVP and 15 wt.% PEA.