Comparison of Additively Manufactured Polymer-Ceramic Parts Obtained via Different Technologies

Abstract

This paper aims to compare two ceramic materials available for additive manufacturing (AM) processes—vat photopolymerization (VPP) and material extrusion (MEX)—that result in fully ceramic parts after proper heat treatment. The analysis points out the most significant differences between the structural and mechanical properties and the potential application of each AM technology. The research revealed different behaviors for the specimens obtained via the two mentioned technologies. In the case of MEX, the specimens exhibited similar microstructures before and after heat treatment. The sintering process did not affect the shape of the grains, only their size. For the VPP specimens, directly after the manufacturing process, irregular grain shapes were registered, but after the sintering process, the grains fused, forming a solid structure that made it impossible to outline individual grains and measure their size. The highest compression strength was 168 MPa for the MEX specimens and 81 MPa for the VPP specimens. While the VPP specimens had half the compression strength, the results for the VPP specimens were significantly more repeatable.