Rheological Behavior of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) Feedstock for Ceramic Injection Moulding (CIM) Process

The characterization of CIM feedstock consisting 58, 59, 60vol% of YSZ powder with binder system comprising a palm stearin (PS) and low density polyethylene (LDPE) were studied. The effects of powder loading and temperature (°C) on the rheological behavior of the YSZ were investigated by using Rosand RH2000 Capillary Rheometer. The results showed all the feedstock achieved desirable injection moulding characteristics such as pseudoplastic behavior, flow behavior index (n) less than 1 and low activation energy (E). The rectangular parts were successfully injected moulded at optimum temperature of 170°C with the highest green strength was 12.7 N, obtained from 60 vol% powder loading which correspond to greater density and low porosity of the samples.