Recent Progresses and Challenges of 3D Printing of Ceramic Cores

Ceramic cores are primarily used for precision investment casting of complex cavity-structured aero-engine blades. As the demand for high thrust-to-weight ratio aero engines becomes increasingly urgent, the shapes and structures of ceramic cores are becoming more complex. This poses stringent requirements on the forming technologies for ceramic cores. Traditional forming methods cannot achieve the manufacturing of ceramic cores with intricate flow channels and high precision. Three-dimensional printing (3D printing, 3DP) technologies have the potential to overcome the limitations of traditional methods and enable the rapid production of ceramic cores with high precision and complex shapes and structures. The application of 3D printing in ceramic core production has garnered significant attention, leading to successful fabrication of various ceramic cores. However, there is a lack of comprehensive summaries regarding the progress in 3D printing of ceramic cores, especially the analysis of opportunities and challenges associated with this technique. Therefore, this review systematically examines the research progress and challenges in 3D printing of ceramic cores for precision casting of aero-engine turbine blades. Firstly, common 3D printing processes suitable for ceramic cores, such as vat photopolymerization, direct ink writing, binder injection, and selective laser sintering, are briefly introduced. Furthermore, the research progress in 3D printing of typical ceramic cores, including SiO₂-based, Al₂O₃-based, and CaO-based ceramic cores, is summarized. Finally, the development opportunities and challenges related to the 3D printing of ceramic cores are discussed and forecasted. It is expected that this review will serve as a valuable reference for research and engineering applications of 3D printing in ceramic core production for precision casting of aero-engine turbine blades.