Recent advances in metal additive manufacturing (AM) have provided new opportunities for the design of prototypes of metal-based products and personalization of products for the fourth industrial revolution. Although metal AM, which enables fabrication of varied and sophisticated objects, is in the spotlight as a next-generation printing method, environmental issues arising during the printing process need to be addressed before it can be commercialized. Here, we demonstrate a novel mechanism for binder jetting three-dimensional (3D) printing of metals that is based on chelation triggered by an eco-friendly binding agent. Sodium salts of fruit acid chelators are used to form stable metal-chelate bridges between metal particles, which enable elaborate metal 3D printing. The strength of the 3D-printed object is improved by post-treatment, through a reduction in the porosity between the metal particles. Finally, the compatibility of the novel printing mechanism with a variety of metals is demonstrated via successful 3D printing of objects of various shapes using various metal powders. The proposed mechanism for metal 3D printing is expected to open up new avenues for the development of domestic-scale desktop 3D printing of metals.
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Posted 17 Mar, 2021
Posted 17 Mar, 2021
Recent advances in metal additive manufacturing (AM) have provided new opportunities for the design of prototypes of metal-based products and personalization of products for the fourth industrial revolution. Although metal AM, which enables fabrication of varied and sophisticated objects, is in the spotlight as a next-generation printing method, environmental issues arising during the printing process need to be addressed before it can be commercialized. Here, we demonstrate a novel mechanism for binder jetting three-dimensional (3D) printing of metals that is based on chelation triggered by an eco-friendly binding agent. Sodium salts of fruit acid chelators are used to form stable metal-chelate bridges between metal particles, which enable elaborate metal 3D printing. The strength of the 3D-printed object is improved by post-treatment, through a reduction in the porosity between the metal particles. Finally, the compatibility of the novel printing mechanism with a variety of metals is demonstrated via successful 3D printing of objects of various shapes using various metal powders. The proposed mechanism for metal 3D printing is expected to open up new avenues for the development of domestic-scale desktop 3D printing of metals.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
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