Vat photopolymerization based Photoinhibition aided Ceramic additive manufacturing (PinCAM).

Vat photopolymerization (VPP) in ceramic additive manufacturing (CAM) faces challenges due to high viscosity from ceramic powder loading, necessitating interruptive recoating steps. Ceramic particles also attenuate and divert irradiated light, causing reduced cure depth and over-curing, leading to slow print, weak interlay adhesion, and dimensional errors. This study introduces photo inhibition-aided CAM (PinCAM) using dual-wavelength digital light processing to mitigate these issues. PinCAM employs two optical masks for initiation and inhibition at different wavelengths. While previous research focused on polymers, this work evaluates inhibition's effects in suspension-based VPP-CAM. Modeling and experiments examine inhibition and curing characteristics, print speed, dimensional accuracy, surface roughness, and microstructure. Preliminary results suggest that photoinhibition has the potential to enhance geometrical and surface properties as well as particle distribution homogeneity of green ceramic components without significantly compromising print speed. Understanding inhibition's impact will aid further research in PinCAM optimization for rapid and precise ceramic manufacturing. • First systematic study on two-wavelength Photoinhibition aided Ceramic AM (PinCAM). • Modeling and characterization of inhibition and curing characteristics in PinCAM. • Pilot study on curing light and inhibition ratio effects in PinCAM speed & product. • Optimal inhibition enhances geometry, surface, density, & homogeneity of green part. • Theoretical basis & methods to establish PinCAM for advanced ceramic manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]