Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 March 2011
Alumina slurries containing up to 40% by volume ceramic particles suspended in alkane waxes have been developed with viscosity sufficiently low to allow direct ink-jet printing. Components fabricated by printing have been dewaxed, sintered and shrinkage and density measured. Small differences in shrinkage have been measured parallel and perpendicular to the droplet motion but these are within experimental scatter. The manufacturing process appears to generate bands of slightly larger grain size material at the interface between deposited layers.