Furthermore, to determine the effects of the binder jetting process on metallurgical properties, the role of powder characteristics (e.g., morphology, mean size, distribution), printing process parameters (e.g., layer thickness, print orientation, binder saturation, print speed, drying time), sintering (e.g., temperature, holding time), and post-processing are discussed. Therefore, a detailed review of the physical processes during 3D printing and the fundamental science of densification after sintering and post–heat treatment steps are provided to understand the microstructural evolution and properties of binder jetted parts.
Various powdered materials have been 3D printed, but a typical challenge during BJ3DP is developing printing and post-processing methods that maximize part performance. By taking advantage of traditional powder metallurgy, BJ3DP machines can produce prototypes in which material properties and surface finish are similar to those attained with traditional powder metallurgy. Among AM technologies, binder jetting holds distinctive promise because of the possibility of rapid production of complex structures to achieve isotropic properties in the 3D printed samples. As a non-beam-based additive manufacturing (AM) method, binder jet 3D printing (BJ3DP) is a process in which a liquid binder is jetted on layers of powdered materials, selectively joined, and then followed by densification process.