Continuous Additive Manufacturing Method for Making Ceramic Articles, and Ceramic Articles

• Main Authors: Keller, Kristen F, Hansen, James D, Hughes, Gareth A, Geldmacher, Andreas M, Shah, Amy T, Lackey, Melissa A, Stegall, David B, Humpal, Kathleen M, Huffman, Alexander J
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 01.12.2022
• Subjects: ARTIFICIAL STONE; CEMENTS; CERAMICS; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDINGMATERIALS; CONCRETE; LIME, MAGNESIA; METALLURGY; REFRACTORIES; SLAG; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE

The present disclosure provides a method of making a ceramic article. The method includes (a) obtaining a photopolymerizable slurry or sol including a plurality of ceramic particles distributed in the photopolymerizable slurry or sol and (b) selectively polymerizing the photopolymerizable slurry or sol using actinic radiation and continuous movement of a build substrate through the photopolymerizable slurry or sol to form a gelled article. The method also includes (c) extracting solvent from the gelled article to form an aerogel article or a xerogel article; (d) heat treating the aerogel article or the xerogel article to form a porous ceramic article; and (e) sintering the porous ceramic article to form a sintered ceramic article. The sintered ceramic article exhibits a particular density. Further, additive manufactured ceramic articles are provided that exhibit a particular density, opacity, or both. Preferably, all cross-sectional portions of an interior of the ceramic article having selected dimensions are free of a frequency analysis signal maxima larger than a background signal.