Study of printing parameters of pneumatic-injection 3D printing of Fe-based metallic glass

Abstract A helpful method to process Fe-based metallic glass called pneumatic-injection 3D printing is proposed. Considering the characteristics of Fe-based metallic glass particles, such as large particle size, high density, and complex surface ions, their wettability and suspension stability were investigated using experiments based on the Washburn equation. The effect of pH value, powder's morphology and granularity on wettability was qualitatively analyzed. Multiple dispersants for the slurries of Fe-based metallic glass powder were tested. The experimental results revealed the wettability of the spherical powder with a size range of 45–200 μm was relatively high. An alkaline environment was not conducive to the wetting and stable dispersion. Ammonium polyacrylate was found to be the best dispersing agent for the Fe-based metallic glass powder. A uniform, stable Fe-based metallic glass slurry with a solid content of 50% was prepared. The width of the printed line increased with the pressure and decreased with increasing nozzle speed. The study of printing parameters provides guidance to improve the quality and accuracy of pneumatic-injection 3D printing of metallic glass.