Mechanical properties of 3D printed MAX Phases

MAX phases are a group of ternary carbides and nitrides with a fixed stoichiometry and nanolaminated structure that combine some of the most interesting metallic and ceramic properties, with good electrical and thermal conductivity and good mechanical properties at high temperature. In terms of Additive Manufacturing technologies, Composite Extrusion Modelling (CEM) stands as a promising alternative for printing materials that are not suited for other Additive Manufacturing techniques. In this processing route, feedstocks in pellet or granulate form are extruded, avoiding difficult steps of filament production and widening the selection of polymeric binder compositions, since filament flexibility and uniformity is not required for the pellet materials. In this work, two MAX phases (Ti₃SiC₂ and Cr₂AlC) have been printed through CEM using a multicomponent binder (PEG/CAB) for the feedstock production. Mechanical properties of the printed samples with the desired geometry were analysed after debinding and sintering.