Feedstock for ceramic fabrication via PIM by using water soluble organic binders

• Grant number: 22/00812-4
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: April 01, 2022
• End date: March 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Alberto Alves Cairo
• Grantee: Carlos Alberto Alves Cairo
• Company: Teccer Indústria e Comércio de Produtos Cerâmicos Ltda
• CNAE: Fabricação de produtos cerâmicos não-refratários não especificados anteriormente
• City: Cravinhos
• Pesquisadores principais: Marco Antonio Alves Cairo
• Associated research grant: 20/05901-0 - Feedstock forceramic fabrication via PIM by using water soluble organic binders, AP.PIPE
• Associated scholarship(s): 22/05079-3 - Feedstock for ceramic fabrication via PIM by using water soluble organic binders, BP.PIPE

Abstract

Powder injection molding is a technology for manufacturing ceramic and metallic components with complex geometries, whose shapes are not possible to obtain by other traditional forming techniques. The success of this process depends on the use of a raw material, known as "feedstock", which has specific rheological properties only obtained with the temporary use of organic additives to give plasticity to the inorganic powder. However, the subsequent extraction of these additives in the molded part, prior to sintering, is a vital step in the processing as a result of the complexity of the degradation and evaporation processes of the organic materials involved, which in conventional feedstocks must be eliminated by heating in furnaces. This step takes a long time, up to 15 days, and requires investments in a precise process control system and, as a rule, results in a very high rate of losses due to swelling and cracking of the injected parts, with the consequent increase in production costs. The purpose of this project is to produce and apply in the productive sector a "feedstock" not available in the national market, using water-soluble polymers in its composition, in the expectation of making production viable and increasing the competitiveness of the national industry. The success of this project has the potential to provide a production solution to meet the market for injected ceramic and metallic products, still unexplored in the country, but which already shows strong demand for the technology. The intended technology includes the development of a system composed of a primary binder + water-soluble binder + surfactant. In this system, the removal of the soluble binder occurs by dissolution in water, creating a network of interconnected channels that will facilitate the exit of insoluble binders in the sintering step. The entire process is completed in approximately 6 hours, in such a way that it will provide significant gains in production. The technical and economic feasibility of the raw material using a water-soluble binder was proven and the results reported in the Phase I execution report. This project presents the continuity of the research until the manufacture of prototypes of injected technical ceramics and ready for commercialization according to the commercialization plan attached to this proposal. (AU)