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X-ray observation study of the influence of binder deposition on sintering process of aluminum binder jetting

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Abstract

Using transmission synchrotron X-ray imaging, we have dynamically visualized the influence of binder deposited inside green bodies on the sintering densification process in aluminum binder jetting. Specifically, green bodies with both binder-containing and binder-free regions were prepared using a binder jet printer, and the densification behavior of the different regions during heating was observed in the same field of view. We identified the binder-free region from the characteristic particle arrangement revealed by X-ray computed tomography before performing dynamic synchrotron X-ray imaging. A series of observations showed that while densification by particle rearrangement in liquid phase sintering occurs, it is somewhat suppressed in regions where binder is deposited. The results also demonstrate that, following the sintering process, regions where the degree of densification is insufficient do not necessarily coincide with regions of binder deposition, possibly due to leakage of the liquid phase. These results of this study not only suggest the importance of developing alternative binders with good pyrolysability and of optimizing the particle size distribution to guarantee sufficient strength for handling but will also be useful for investigating binder deposition patterns for densification during aluminum sintering, such as core–shell printing and line-and-space printing.

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Notes

  1. In metal BJT, a green body refers to a powder printed object consisting of powder and binder after printing and before debinding. The original term “green body” refers to powder compacts subjected to sintering in powder metallurgy. In metal BJT, the post-printed objects are called “green bodies” because they are sintered after printing.

  2. A brown body refers to a powder modeling object after debinding of a green body and before sintering. This is also a technical term in powder metallurgy.

  3. CatCalc is software to calculate the phase diagram under thermodynamic equilibrium by the Gibbs energy minimization method [37].

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Acknowledgements

The synchrotron radiation experiments were performed at the Hyogo beamline (BL08B2) of SPring-8 with the approval of the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (Proposal No. 2021B3422). This work was supported by the Hyogo Science and Technology Association. The authors express their gratitude for the association’s technical support. The authors also thank Toyo Aluminium K.K. for providing aluminum powder.

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  1. Ricoh Company, Ltd, 2-7-1 Izumi, Ebina, Kanagawa, 243-0460, Japan

    Daichi Yamaguchi & Naoki Oya

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  1. Daichi Yamaguchi
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  2. Naoki Oya
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception, design, and analysis. Material preparation was performed by Naoki Oya. Synchrotron X-ray imaging was performed by all authors. X-ray CT was performed by Daichi Yamaguchi. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Daichi Yamaguchi, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Daichi Yamaguchi.

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Yamaguchi, D., Oya, N. X-ray observation study of the influence of binder deposition on sintering process of aluminum binder jetting. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 128, 1981–1990 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-023-12058-w

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