3D Printing of Barium Titanate Using the Direct Ink Writing (DIW) Technique
Open Access
- Author:
- Barsom, Karim
- Area of Honors:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Zoubeida Ounaies, Thesis Supervisor
Bo Cheng, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Barium Titanate
3D Printing
Additive Manufacturing
Direct Ink Writing
Extrusion 3D Printing
Printability
Ceramics - Abstract:
- Barium titanate (BaTiO3) is a smart ceramic known for its piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties. 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, of BaTiO3 has crucial applications across the medical, robotics, and electronics industries. 3D printing allows engineers to consider innovative designs with increasingly complex geometries which can lead to innovations that are unimaginable today. The development of a process that produces ceramic parts with 3D printing can also enhance the reliability and reduce the cost of manufacturing small-scale electronic components. The Direct Ink Writing (DIW) process was selected for its relatively low cost of entry, ease of use, and for its use of ceramic pastes and slurries similar to those used traditionally in tape casting and slip casting ceramic manufacturing methods. To execute the DIW process, I am using a modified off-the-shelf consumer 3D printer. Understanding how the controllable parameters of the DIW process and hardware can affect the quality, precision, speed, and capabilities when printing a BaTiO3 based slurry is the first step towards optimizing the DIW process for prototyping and mass commercial applications. Through preliminary slurry solid loading tests and a parameter impact assessment looking at the flow rate, nozzle size, BaTiO3 solid loading in the slurry, print speed, and gap height, I have shown how understanding the relative impact of each parameter can inform the adjustments to each printing parameter for the desired outcome; may that be fastest print speed, greatest resolution, or some combination of outcomes.