Metal-Binder-Jetting Specific Lattice Designs for Load-Bearing Applications

Metal binder jetting (MBJ) may enable customized mass production over other additive manufacturing technologies because of its unprecedented build rate and supportlessness unlike laser powder bed fusion. This technology is analogous to metal injection molding (MIM) except for a green-part-making process. It has advantages of creating more complex functional geometries with the help of lattices in components over MIM. In general, lattices in green parts are successfully build-up. Structural integrity problems may arise during sintering by experiencing unexpected distortion while shrinking and deforming. Here, we studied several lattices for load-bearing applications with the considerations of depowdering efficiency and sinter deformation. Consequently, we analyzed sinter-deformation characteristics for several lattice designs with simulations and experiments, and optimized their designs by measuring geometric and dimensional tolerances. We anticipate that this study will contribute to creating design guidelines for MBJ.