Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• VPP 3D printing offers high surface quality and printing accuracy (~μm), making it a promising method for fabricating complex ceramic cores for aeroengine turbine blades. • Key challenges include layered structures, property anisotropy, cracks, collapse, forming inaccuracies, and surface roughness control, which hinder practical application. • Recent advances focus on optimizing slurry formulation, curing behavior, auxiliary powders, forming parameters, and sintering processes to mitigate these issues. • Future research should refine curing mechanisms, advance powder design and organic systems, and regulate coupled forming, debinding, and sintering processes to accelerate aerospace adoption.
Abstract
To meet the evolving demands of aeroengine development, the structural and performance requirements for ceramic cores have become increasingly stringent. Vat photopolymerization 3D printing, owing to its moldless, flexible manufacturing, and other advantages, demonstrates significant potential in the preparation of ceramic cores with intricate structures. However, its practical application still faces multiple challenges, including layered structures and property anisotropy, defects such as cracks and collapse during printing and sintering, forming inaccuracies, and difficulties in controlling surface roughness. Recent advances have focused on optimizing slurry formulation and rheology, improving curing behavior, introducing auxiliary powders and additives, tailoring forming parameters, and optimizing the sintering process. Nevertheless, effectively suppressing lamellar defects, achieving superior dimensional accuracy, and maintaining high surface quality in complex structures remain the core scientific and technical issues to be solved. Future research should concentrate on refining curing mechanisms, advancing powder design and organic system optimization, and regulating the coupled processes of forming, debinding, and sintering to accelerate the application of VPP 3D printed ceramic cores in aerospace manufacturing.
1. Introduction
Ceramic cores are typically utilized for forming the internal cavities of complex components in investment casting [1, 2]. The ceramic cores used for aircraft engine turbine blades represent the highest level of preparation for ceramic cores due to their structural complexity and performance requirements [3, 4]. Meanwhile, the pursuit of an improved thrust-to-weight ratio in aerospace engines requires ceramic cores with even more intricate structures and higher performance standards [5, 6].
The traditional preparation method for ceramic cores is mainly injection molding, which relies on molds and involves a lengthy process cycle [7]. Additive manufacturing technology, due to its moldless and flexible manufacturing advantages, possesses advantages in the field of preparing complex structural components [8]. Since Halloran et al. [9-11] developed ceramic stereolithography (SLA) technology in the 1990s, various ceramic additive manufacturing technologies with different principles have been developed, such as digital light processing (DLP) [12], liquid crystal display (LCD)-based 3D printing [13, 14], inkjet printing (IJP) [15, 16], direct ink writing (DIW) [17, 18], binder jetting (BJ) [19, 20], selective laser sintering (SLS) [21, 22], selective laser melting (SLM) [23, 24], and so on. Among them, SLA, DLP, and LCD are referred to as vat photopolymerization (VPP) 3D printing technology [25]. Compared to other ceramic additive manufacturing technologies, as shown in Table 1, VPP ceramic 3D printing demonstrates significant potential for fabricating the ceramic cores due to its high surface quality and high printing accuracy (~μm) [26, 27].
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Xiang Li, Hai-jun Su, Dong Dong, Hao Jiang, Ya-wen Ma, Zhong-lin Shen, Yi-nuo Guo, Yun Zhang, Zhuo Zhang, Min Guo (2025). Vat photopolymerization 3D printing of ceramic cores: Advances, challenges, and prospects. China Foundry. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41230-025-4240-9
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is vat photopolymerization (VPP) 3D printing?
VPP 3D printing is an additive manufacturing technology that uses light to cure photopolymer resin layer by layer. It includes techniques like stereolithography (SLA), digital light processing (DLP), and liquid crystal display (LCD) printing. It offers high printing accuracy and surface quality, making it suitable for fabricating complex ceramic cores.
What are the main challenges in VPP 3D printing of ceramic cores?
The main challenges include layered structures causing property anisotropy, defects like cracks and collapse during printing and sintering, forming inaccuracies, and difficulties in controlling surface roughness. These issues arise from the conflict between VPP process requirements (low viscosity, high solid loading) and the performance requirements of ceramic cores.
How can the challenges be addressed?
Recent advances focus on optimizing slurry formulation and rheology, improving curing behavior, introducing auxiliary powders and additives, tailoring forming parameters, and optimizing the sintering process. Future research should refine curing mechanisms, advance powder design and organic system optimization, and regulate coupled forming, debinding, and sintering processes.
Why are ceramic cores important for aeroengines?
Ceramic cores are used to form internal cavities in complex components during investment casting, particularly for turbine blades. They must meet stringent structural and performance requirements to enable improved thrust-to-weight ratios in aerospace engines.
What is the significance of VPP 3D printing for ceramic cores?
VPP 3D printing offers moldless, flexible manufacturing with high surface quality and printing accuracy, making it a promising alternative to traditional injection molding for producing intricate ceramic core structures, potentially accelerating aerospace manufacturing.
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