Powder bed and inkjet head 3D printing

While not necessarily employing conventional inkjet technology, various other powder-binder combinations may be deployed to form objects by chemical or mechanical means.

Like other powder-bed processes, surface finish and accuracy, object density, and—depending on the material and process—part strength may be inferior to technologies such as stereolithography (SLA) or selective laser sintering (SLS).

[12] Binder Jetting continues to evolve as a promising additive manufacturing technology, with recent advancements demonstrating its potential for improved precision and material quality.

By introducing controlled levels of moisture to ExOne 316L powder prior to printing, the study shows enhanced binder absorption and reduced particle agglomeration, resulting in higher-quality multi-layered parts.

This method leverages thermal decomposition to deposit metal nanoparticles, overcoming challenges like residual impurities, complex sintering processes, and reduced material purity.

The MOD ink demonstrated excellent compatibility with Binder Jetting, avoiding issues like nozzle clogging and sedimentation common in nanoparticle suspensions.

While green parts printed with MOD ink showed reduced strength and increased edge fragility, they exhibited high purity and dense cores after sintering, with minimal porosity and no residual contaminants.

This study validates the feasibility of MOD inks for Binder Jetting, offering a pathway to produce highly pure and dense metallic components.

Recent research, such as the study "Binder-jet 3D printing of pea-based snacks with modulated texture",[15] highlights the potential of this technology in creating innovative, customizable food products.

The study demonstrates the feasibility of using Binder Jetting to produce snacks from pea flour, a nutritionally rich ingredient, combined with an aqueous binding solution.

The research further explores the influence of various parameters, such as binder saturation, sugar inclusion, and baking, on the mechanical characteristics of the printed samples.

The results reveal that adjustments to binder levels significantly impact the strength and compressibility of the snacks, achieving properties comparable to commercially available products.

Schematic representation of the process: a moving head a) selectively binds (by dropping glue or by laser sintering) the surface of a powder bed e) ; a moving platform f) progressively lowers the bed and the solidified object d) rests inside the unbound powder. New powder is continuously added to the bed from a powder reservoir c) by means of a leveling mechanism b)
A 3D selfie in 1:20 scale printed by Shapeways using gypsum-based printing, created by Madurodam miniature park from 2D pictures taken at its Fantasitron photo booth.
Composite of Ti-6Al-4V and silver, produced by means of 3D printing and infiltration, SEM picture of metallographic section
X-ray image of normal metal and agglomerate particles produced during the binder jetting process. The utilized powder was 9um Stainless Steel 316. Note the large, circular agglomerate particles- these lead to powder bed depletion.