Experimental studies on the properties of selectively laser melted alumina-spodumene composite

Abstract Based on previously established process conditions, we successfully selectively laser melted and characterised the properties of alumina-spodumene composite. Additively manufacturing sample parts of this composite using various layer thicknesses revealed different printing defects. For example, at layer thickness of 50 µm, we observed delamination of the part from the substrate plate. Poor interlayer bonding, however, was found when the layer thicknesses used were 100 µm and 150 µm. With the addition of alumina, the flexural strength of the samples doubled. It was also found that heat treating the composite has negligible effect on the properties. Additionally, compared to using large layer thicknesses, printing with 50 µm layer thickness produced parts with the lowest amount of porosities. Furthermore, x-ray diffraction analysis detected crystallinity in the as-printed samples due to the addition of alumina particles and crystallisation from constant heat input. This article shows that selective laser melting of ceramic-glass-ceramic composite is possible.