The development of WC-Co cemented carbide slurry for stereolithography- based additive manufacturing

Abstract

Tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) cemented carbide has a wide range of application prospects in a wide range of industries because of its high strength, high hardness, excellent wear resistance, high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, etc. Additive manufacturing (AM) makes it possible to fabricate geometrically complex tools compared to traditional manufacturing techniques. However, the preparation of high solid loading, superior stability, and optimal curing thickness of WC-Co cemented carbide slurry remains challenging for creating cemented carbide components with complex shapes via stereolithography. In this work, the dispensability, stability, and curing thickness of WC-Co cemented carbide slurry were systematically investigated. The suitable WC-Co (94-6wt.%) cemented carbide slurry for stereolithography was successfully achieved by ball milling under appropriate process parameters, and the complex-shaped WC-Co (94-6wt.%) cemented carbide green bodies were fabricated. This work aims to provide a reference for additive manufacturing of near-net-shape WC-Co cemented carbide parts by stereolithography.