Ultrasonic vibration enables defect-free machining of ceramic gels

Ceramic materials are renowned for their hardness and high-temperature resistance, making them indispensable in fields such as aerospace, electronics, and biomedical devices. However, these properties make ceramics difficult to machine without introducing cracks or defects. Traditional machining methods struggle with complex shapes and risk damaging the brittle material.

To address these challenges, researchers led by Professor Shiwei Wang have developed an innovative machining method called URM. This technique processes ceramics in their gel state, formed using Spontaneous Coagulation Casting (SCC), which retains re-flow properties of ceramic gels under shear stress. By applying high-frequency ultrasonic vibration, localized energy precisely modifies the gel’s structure, enabling slotting, drilling, and removing with micrometer-scale accuracy.

The team published their work in Journal of Advanced Ceramics on May 14, 2025.

"The URM method allows us to shape and bond ceramics without cracks," said Shiwei Wang. "It’s a clean, efficient solution that preserves the integrity of the material throughout fabrication." The team demonstrated its feasibility using alumina ceramic gels, achieving smoother surfaces and defect-free joints after sintering. URM also proved superior in reducing surface roughness from 3.2 μm to 0.3 μm.

Importantly, the URM method avoids machining damage and particle pollution often associated with laser cutting or mechanical machining. It also opens new possibilities for complex ceramic geometries previously limited by brittleness. URM's compatibility with environmentally friendly SCC gels further enhances its application in sustainable manufacturing.

The study, published in *Journal of Advanced Ceramics*, is under going to explore the adaptation of URM for other ceramic systems and further optimization of ultrasonic parameters to expand its industrial applicability.

About Journal of Advanced Ceramics

Journal of Advanced Ceramics (JAC) is an international academic journal that presents the state-of-the-art results of theoretical and experimental studies on the processing, structure, and properties of advanced ceramics and ceramic-based composites. JAC is Fully Open Access, monthly published by Tsinghua University Press, and exclusively available via SciOpen. JAC’s 2023 IF is 18.6, ranking in Top 1 (1/31, Q1) among all journals in “Materials Science, Ceramics” category, and its 2024 CiteScore is 25.9 (5/130) in Scopus database. ResearchGate homepage: https://www.researchgate.net/journal/Journal-of-Advanced-Ceramics-2227-8508