Development and commercialization of 3D-printed ceramic/refractory carbonized items.

3D printing or additive manufacturing has revolutionised prototyping in many materials, but has seen very limited adoption to ceramics. This is because ceramics need high temperature firing after forming. Even in advanced, controlled-atmosphere kilns, this is not an exact process. Items shrink and intricate details, essential for function, are lost. Some shapes can even cause items to crack or fail catastrophically. We have solved this problem by introducing resins and antioxidants, either during printing or by soaking afterwards. Upon firing, the resins form a network of carbon bonds that protect the item from shrinkage. This project seeks to exploit this proven concept to deliver filters for metal casting (improved product) and a bespoke casting filter design service for complex metal pours. Project results will be taken up by foundries to reduce defective castings caused by previously unfilterable impurities. Costs of this are not publicly available, although CLAN ceramic consultancy estimates it costs £87m to the £2bn UK foundry industry. We will also explore other applications in this project. It has hitherto been difficult to machine ceramics. Before firing, they are too soft and would lose form during firing. After firing, they are too hard to machine feasibly and prone to breakage. Our technology removes the need for machining, by allowing a precise shape to be formed and retained through the firing process. We have already identified kiln furniture (shelves and supports for items in kilns) as a potential application and will determine how and if we should access this market.