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View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-0315.vid

As the frequency of SmallSat launches continues to increase, technology solutions to enable fast, accurate, and scalable manufacturing of parts are necessary to meet the demand. In this work, additively manufactured technical ceramics are examined to meet the needs of spacecraft propulsion systems, specifically thrust chambers for use with monopropellants. This research focuses on Digital Light Processing (DLP), a lithography-based AM technique for ceramics that involves exposing a photosensitive liquid polymer resin containing a suspension of ceramic particles to UV light layer-by-layer. This work investigates non-oxide ceramics which have exceptional thermal shock resistance and mechanical strength which can improve the operational lifespan of printed thrust chambers. Commercially available oxide ceramic slurries were first trialed …