Powder-Bed Additive Manufacturing of Metallic, Ceramic, and Composite Materials: Densification, Microstructural Characterization, and Mechanical Testing

Abstract

Powder bed fusion (PBF) and binder jetting (BJ) are two closely aligned processes that belong to powder-bed additive manufacturing (PBAM). The research shared in this dissertation presents technical advancements surrounding PBAM (i.e., PBF and BJ) for achieving resultant parts with sufficient density and material properties. Investigations into the densification, microstructural characterization, and mechanical testing add to the knowledge surrounding specimens produced via PBAM. The works detail methods to control density prior to printing like scan strategy optimization and post-processing methods like infiltration to densify specimens after a PBAM process. Infiltration is shown to be a useful tool in manufacturing unique materials like fully ceramic composites and metal matrix nanoparticle-reinforced composites while utilizing PBAM.