Multi-material printing of reaction bonded carbides by robocasting

In the present work, reaction bonded boron carbide (RBBC) and reaction bonded silicon carbide (BRSC) composites were fabricated using multi-material robocasting followed by liquid silicon infiltration (LSI). The fabrication of carbide based materials using LSI is of great technological interest because it avoids the need for the relatively high temperatures and pressures required in traditional fabrication. Multi-material robocasting offers the possibility of combining materials and thus their properties, as demonstrated in this work with silicon carbide (SiC) and boron carbide (B4C).