Strategic Manufacturing Initiative: Solid Freeform Fabrication: Ceramics

这项研究的目的是开发利用固体粉末和气体前体生产陶瓷结构件的工程技术基础。如果成功，这项技术有可能在设计可视化、原型制作和按需部件制造方面产生数量级的生产力改进，并通过打破建模/原型制作瓶颈，显著缩短工程系统的开发周期。这项技术并不直接与传统工艺竞争大生产数量，但在低生产数量的情况下竞争，例如生产原型部件、设计可视化模型、铸造图案和按需部件。我们在这一领域的研究中开发的一种方法，即在聚合物材料上进行选择性激光烧结，已经在实验上证明了固体自由形状制造的可行性。

The objective of this research is to develop the engineering technology base to produce structural parts in ceramics from both solid powders and gas precursors. If successful, this technology has the potential to produce order-of-magnitude productivity improvements in design visualization, prototyping, and parts-on- demand and to dramatically shorten development cycle times for engineering systems by breaking the modelmaking/prototyping bottleneck. This technology does not directly compete with conventional processes for large production numbers, but competes in low production number situations such as the production of prototype parts, design visualization models, casting patterns, and parts on demand. The feasibility of Solid Freeform Fabrication has been experimentally demonstrated using Selective Laser Sintering on polymeric materials, a process developed during our research in this area.