PARI Researchers Use 3D Printed Dark Ceramics to Advance Hypersonic Manufacturing

Hypersonic manufacturing is one of the most challenging areas of research in modern aerospace applications. Vehicles traveling at more than five times the speed of sound have to withstand extreme conditions, including temperatures of more than 2000°C and enormous mechanical loads. Conventional materials quickly reach their limits here. That is why researchers at the Purdue Applied Research Institute (PARI) are now developing additive manufacturing processes to produce dark ceramics in complex shapes for the components of hypersonic vehicles using 3D printing.

Dark ceramics were chosen because they can withstand the extreme conditions of hypersonic flight and are less susceptible to cracking or wear. Rodney Trice, professor in the College of Engineering’s School of Materials Engineering and the thrust lead in ceramic processing at PARI’s Hypersonics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center (HAMTC), is leading the research. The goal? To 3D print components on a large scale to increase the efficiency and performance of hypersonic vehicles.

The team used 3D printers at HAMTC that use digital light processing (DLP) technology and work with a UV light projector. This irradiates a thin layer of ceramic powder and resin, which hardens the material and fixes the powder. Trice emphasizes that this process allows complex designs and geometries to be produced with smooth surfaces and micrometer precision. The team has succeeded in producing different shapes, including cones and hemispheres, which are suitable for the construction of hypersonic vehicles.