Effects of Compaction Thickness on Density, Integrity, and Microstructure of Green Parts in Binder Jetting Additive Manufacturing of Silicon Carbide

Binder jetting additive manufacturing (BJAM) of silicon carbide (SiC) has been reported in the literature. In the reported studies, the effects of the compaction thickness on the properties of SiC green parts printed by BJAM have largely been unexamined. This study aims to fill this gap in the literature by investigating the effects of the compaction thickness on the density, integrity, and microstructure of SiC green parts printed by BJAM. In this study, experiments were conducted using four levels of compaction thickness at two levels of layer thickness. The results indicate that increasing the compaction thickness enhances the green part density, reaching 1.85 g/cm³ at a layer thickness of 45 µm and 1.87 g/cm³ at a layer thickness of 60 µm, respectively. However, a higher compaction thickness might also introduce defects in green parts, such as cracks. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis confirmed the improved particle packing and reduced porosity with the increased compaction thickness. These findings underscore a trade-off between density and defect formation, providing critical insights for optimizing BJAM process variables for fabricating SiC parts.