Manual binder jet 3D printer designed to enable small-scale research, multi-material structures, and interchangeable binder deposition methods

Binder jet 3D printing is a promising metal and ceramic additive manufacturing technique for producing stress-free, support-free, never-melted parts. However, binder jetting lacks accessibility for many researchers due to the need to fill large powder beds with a single composition of powder that has high flowability. This paper presents a simple design for a manual binder jet printer that requires only small amounts of powder to operate and allows for multiple compositions to be loaded during the same print to enable layered compositions and properties. Two variations on the design are presented: (1) a lower-cost, lower-precision dosed sprayer version and (2) a higher-cost, higher-precision handheld inkjet printer version. Both versions of the presented binder jet 3D printer can be fabricated with access to a basic machine shop and polymer 3D printing capabilities.