Preliminary Characterization of Glass/Alumina Composite Using Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) Additive Manufacturing.

Powder bed fusion (PBF) additive manufacturing (AM) is currently used to produce high-efficiency, high-density, and high-performance products for a variety of applications. However, existing AM methods are applicable only to metal materials and not to high-melting-point ceramics. Here, we develop a composite material for PBF AM by adding AlO to a glass material using laser melting. AlO and a black pigment are added to a synthesized glass frit for improving the composite strength and increased laser-light absorption, respectively. Our sample analysis shows that the glass melts to form a composite when the mixture is laser-irradiated. To improve the sintering density, we heat-treat the sample at 750 °C to synthesize a high-density glass frit composite. As per our X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis to confirm the reactivity of the glass frit and AlO, we find that no reactions occur between glass and crystalline AlO. Moreover, we obtain a high sample density of ≥95% of the theoretical density. We also evaluate the composite's mechanical properties as a function of the AlO content. Our approach facilitates the manufacturing of ceramic 3D structures using glass materials through PBF AM and affords the benefits of reduced process cost, improved performance, newer functionalities, and increased value addition.