Processing and electromechanical properties of dome-shaped actuators fabricated by fused deposition of ceramics

Dome-shaped actuators based on the soft PZT ceramics were successfully fabricated by Fused Deposition of Ceramics (FDC) which allows for 3D layer manufacturing of ceramic parts directly from a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) file. The curvature of the samples was varied in order to optimize the electromechanical response. The green structures obtained by FDC were subjected to a binder burnout cycle to remove the organic binder and were sintered at 1285/spl deg/C for 1 hour. The electromechanical properties were then evaluated in terms of axial displacement, resonance behavior, and electromechanical hysteresis. Displacements of 7 /spl mu/m were achieved from the samples with 23 mm and 1.4 mm in diameter and height, respectively. The results demonstrate that FDC technique can be used for rapid prototyping of monolithic actuators of complex shape while maintaining structural integrity and good piezoelectric properties.