Rapid prototyping advances employing ceramic composite materials

The University of Dayton is developing high-performance ceramic composite materials for laminated object manufacturing (LOM) systems. At the same time, the operation of the commercial LOM system has been extended from planar layer fabrication to curved layer capability. This was necessitated due to the requirement for continuous fiber placement in the object and the elimination of stairstepping, as occurs in standard LOM. This new system has the capability of creating fiber reinforced ceramic components with continuous fibers following the component's geometry. Novel material processing procedures have been developed permitting near net-shape fabrication. A program is now underway to fabricate commercial components and to compare their mechanical properties against components fabricated using traditional methods. This paper will review the technology developed and the results achieved to date.