Dalian University of Technology researchers reduce ceramic porosity by 85.5 percent using microwave-laser hybrid additive manufacturing. Led by Professor Fangyong Niu, the team integrated a 2.45 GHz microwave field with laser-based processing to extend the melt pool fluidity window from 0.85 seconds to 1.86 seconds. This dual-energy approach, tested on yttria-stabilized zirconia, achieved a final porosity of 0.11 percent and increased bending strength to 373.8 megapascals. The study, published in the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, targets high-performance applications including jet engine components and power plant turbine parts.

Ceramic additive manufacturing faces significant adoption hurdles due to inherent brittleness and internal defects caused by rapid solidification in laser-based processes. By utilizing microwave energy for volumetric heating, the Dalian team addresses the common issue of gas entrapment that typically leads to crack initiation in ceramic parts. This method competes with established techniques like lithography-based ceramic manufacturing and binder jetting by offering a potential pathway to higher density and structural homogeneity in high-temperature materials. The ability to manipulate crystal orientation through localized microwave absorption represents a technical advancement in controlling material properties during the build process.

This hybrid approach requires significant engineering to achieve uniform microwave field distribution across larger build volumes, which remains the primary barrier to industrial implementation. Users in aerospace and energy sectors should evaluate the scalability of this synchronization between laser and microwave sources before considering integration into production workflows. The immediate focus for the research team must be the transition from small-scale test bars to complex, large-format geometries to prove the viability of the process in real-world manufacturing environments.