Binder Jetting 3D Printing of Magnesium Oxychloride Cement-Based Materials: Parametric Analysis of Manufacturing Factors

Powder-bed binder jet 3D printing is a flexible method for producing magnesium oxychloride (MOC)-based articles. Despite the great potential of this additive manufacturing technology for producing free-form MOC cement-based components, the influence of processing factors on final material performance has not yet been investigated and no general models exist for the selection of proper parameters with the desired quality. In the present work, the effect of six key manufacturing factors on the modulus of rupture of MOC cement-based components was studied, using an analysis of variance. The parametric analysis revealed that the material's strength was strongly influenced by three process inputs: particle size, the amount of binder, and layer thickness. The amount of binder was determined by the "rate of voxel" and the "powder-bed density" and required precise control during the printing process. The introduced quadratic regression model can assist operators in selecting a combination of binder jet process inputs to achieve predetermined final material performance.