Stabilization of tricalcium phosphate slurries against sedimentation for stereolithographic additive manufacturing and influence on the final mechanical properties

Ceramic parts manufactured by lithography‐based ceramic manufacturing (LCM) excel in resolution and surface quality. The material for LCM is a photosensitive ceramic particle‐filled slurry which needs to have homogeneous properties over time and during each processing step. The goal of this study was to use “mechanical” stabilization for a tricalcium phosphate‐filled slurry done by increasing slurry viscosity, solids loading, or inducing thixotropic behavior. The modified slurries were compared with a nonstable reference slurry. While all methods lead to increased storage stability, only the stabilized slurry with 0.5 wt% fumed silica is stable during the printing process.