A review on recent developments in binder jetting metal additive manufacturing: materials and process characteristics

Abstract

Binder Jetting Metal Additive Manufacturing (BJ-MAM), known also as metal 3D-printing, is a powder bed-based additive manufacturing technology. It consists of the deposition of liquid binder droplets to selectively join powder particles to enable the creation of near-net shaped parts, which subsequently are consolidated via sintering process. This technology is known for its capability to process a wide range of different materials and for its orientation towards large volume production series. Binder Jetting has recently been drawing the attention of both the research sphere as well as several industrial sectors. The present review study encompasses the various and most remarkable aspects of BJ-MAM part fabrication. The review covers the material selection and characterisation considerations, followed by the manufacturing process features and the parameter effect on different part properties. It concludes with an overview concerning the most recent case studies with regards to diverse metal alloy developments.

Additive Manufacturing of Polymer Materials: Progress, Promise and Challenges

“…Moreover, it is capable of building large, complex components at relatively low-cost than many direct 3-D printing processes; and is capable of manufacturing high-value products with structurally robust materials. BJ technology has matured significantly in recent years; however, further research is essential to generate the fundamental data required for the robust implementation of this technology on an industrial scale [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”

Powder-Based 3D Printing for the Fabrication of Device with Micro and Mesoscale Features

“…PBBJ utilizes a liquid binding agent to glue the powders in selected regions of a powder bed. Generally, post-printing sintering is required to improve mechanical properties of the PBBJ-printed objects [ 63 , 66 , 78 , 82 , 83 , 84 ]. On the other hand, PBF technology, first introduced by Deckard and Beaman [ 85 ], utilizes energy source (thermal, laser, electron beam or infrared source) to melt or sinter powders in selected regions on the powder bed [ 23 , 86 ].…”

“…Generally, sintering is required to reduce porosity and improve mechanical preformation of the 3D-printed green part, and infiltration is sometimes required ( Figure 3 a) [ 82 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 ]. After fabrication, hot isostatic pressing could be used to increase the density of the green parts [ 63 , 66 , 82 , 83 , 93 ]. PBBJ allows the printing of large objects.…”

“…HP, Inc; (HP) introduced the multi jet fusion (MJF) 3D-printing process, a special type of PBF process [ 20 , 102 , 103 ]. This technique is like PBBJ and an inkjet system in terms of the material feedstock [ 66 ]. However, the fusing mechanism of MJF is entirely different from PBBJ and SLS because it fuses the material with the help of infrared heating and a chemical fusing agent [ 67 , 103 , 104 ].…”

“…To achieve both high-resolution and high-throughput manufacturing, a multiscale and multi-print speed 3D-printing process is desired to print microscale features with a high-resolution and the rest of the part at a high speed. Powder-based 3D printing is well-suited for industrial scale manufacturing due to its high throughout, high scalability, post-printing processability and wide material selection [ 7 , 24 , 29 , 48 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 ]. However, industrial powder-based 3D-printers are often limited by the lack of transparent material and relatively low printer resolution and accuracy [ 17 , 41 , 44 , 62 , 68 ].…”