3D printing of glass and ceramic materials

Abstract

In recent years, various 3D printing technologies have been developed, enabling the fabrication of 3D structures of ceramics and glass, in addition to resin and metal. However, several issues remain, such as expanding the printable size, improving processing accuracy, and shortening manufacturing time. To address these challenges, we have developed both stereolithography methods and photocurable materials that can fabricate glass and ceramic parts in several hours of sintering. We have also developed multi-material stereolithography techniques to produce functional 3D-printed parts. In this paper, we introduce examples of various ceramic parts fabricated by our methods. Photocurable materials that enable high-speed sintering will be discussed, and examples of 3D-printed glass structures will be presented.