ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the common methods for the consolidation of ceramic powders. Plastic forming methods in which a mixture of the ceramic powder and additives is deformed plastically through a nozzle or in a die provide a convenient route for the mass production of ceramic green bodies. Particle packing and polymeric additives play an important role in powder consolidation. Particle packing is commonly divided into two types: regular packing and random packing. The ceramic Solid Free-form Fabrication (SFF) techniques generally provide the methods for assembling the complex-shaped objects from common starting materials such as concentrated suspensions, powders, and particle-filled polymers. In the forming of ceramics, the use of certain additives, sometimes in concentrations as low as a fraction of a percent by weight, is often vital for controlling the characteristics of the feed material, for achieving the desired shape, and for controlling the packing uniformity of the green body.
