Cordierite Feedstock for Ceramic Injection Moulding (CIM)
Alternative technical ceramics: Cordierites
CIM advanced manufacturing: - Intrincate geometries - Full density and high tolerances - High volume production - Cost efficient technology
Applications of microsatellites components and infrared industrial heaters
CORAM (CORdierite Advance Manufacturing) is a project framed within Manunet call, which is a program funded by The European Union Horizon 2020.
The main focus of this project is to explore new ceramic processing technologies, especially on Ceramic Injection Moulding (CIM) and Additive Manufacturing (AM).Traditionally, there has been 3 classical ways of processing ceramics: extrusion, pressing and casting.
However, in the past years, new technologies have appeared in the market with very interesting advantages. CIM provides great versatility and freedom in designing components, and it is used when part complexity goes beyond the boundaries of other more basic technologies such as pressing, extrusion or machining.
Most of the CIM components are based on alumina or Zircona, but not in other ceramic materials such as Cordierite. One of the novelties of this project is to adjust a cordierite powder in terms of composition, particle size and distribution, ready to be used in CIM process.
CIM is a forming technology aimed to manufacturing high-quality parts. The overall CIM process includes several stages in which the feedstock (a ceramic homogeneous mixture) is injected and thermally-treated to obtain the final sintered part.
So another goal of this project is to develop a cordierite feedstock. This will represent a great opportunity to companies who looking for properties that cordierite can offer, for example better price and better thermal shock than alumina.
Besides, this CIM technology will be compared with Additive Manufacturing technique. 3D printing also offers benefits from traditional manufacturing, such as new functionalities, free design and reduced lead-time from complicated shapes.
The consortium will try to achieve all these goals by creating two different prototypes: an antenna support for microsatellites and an infrared industrial heater. Besides, a PCB (printed Circuit Board) will be printed in the antenna support, to check feasibility and open this technique to future applications.
During these 2 years the consortium has designed this new cordierite feedstock (mixing ceramic cordierite powder with different binders) and optimized the different CIM steps. In this way, the two prototypes fulfilling all technical requirements have been manufactured (geometries, tolerances, density, dielectric capacity, mechanical strength, thermal transmission, thermal expansion…).
This project has been developed with a close communication and coordination between the different members of the consortium.
Irish team has been formed by Ceramicx Company and IMR Institute, Russian team came from Sputnix. Flexitech from Israel has also participated. Finally, Spain team was formed by Vicar company, UCLM university and Idoneal institute.
Through this project we look for innovate manufacturing process, aimed for the production of ceramic components that could be applied in the functional field, for example in aerospace and consumer goods markets.
