Development and evaluation of Al2O3–ZrO2 composite processed by digital light 3D printing

Digital Light Processing (DLP) is a promising approach to fabricate delicate ceramic components with high-fidelity structural features. In this work, the alumina and zirconia/alumina ceramic suspensions with low viscosity and high solid loading (40 vol%) were prepared specifically for DLP 3D printing . After debinding and sintering, the final parts were obtained without any defects. The surface morphologies and mechanical properties of alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) and zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) composites were investigated and the results showed that the final parts exhibited high relative densities and good interlayer combination at the sintering temperature of 1600 °C. Comparing with the Al 2 O 3 , the ZTA composites exhibited significantly enhanced density (99.4%), bending strength (516.7 MPa) and indentation fracture toughness (7.76 MPa m 1/2 ).