Abstract
Abstract
Selective inhibition sintering (SIS) process is a relatively new additive manufacturing technology that builds parts on a layer-by-layer basis. This new process has been of high interest in recent years. The principal idea of the SIS process for metallic parts is based on the retardation of selected segments of each powder layer from sintering. In this process, the inhibitor, which is an inorganic salt solution or a carbohydrate solution (sucrose), is printed on the boundary of each metal powder layer cross-section to form the green part. During bulk sintering, the inhibitor decomposes to second-phase particles. The decomposed solid particles cover the surface of affected metal powder particles and exert a retarding force on the surface movement, which results in sintering retardation in the printed sections. In this article, the effects of inhibitor and sintering conditions on the SIS process for bronze were investigated. Retardation from sintering was studied for bronze inhibited by sucrose through the SIS process. The mechanical properties of the printed and nonprinted sections under different sintering conditions were characterized by the aid of design of experiments methodology. The characterizations were conducted by measuring the mechanical properties of metallic parts under different sintering temperature and sintering time. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques were used to study the printed sections after sintering.
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