Numerical investigations of the binder burnout process during the MLCC manufacturing

The multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) is an essential component in modern electronic products, and its manufacturing process can take a couple of hours to several days. To understand the details during the binder burnout (BBO) process and to develop optimal design setups using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), this study has developed a complete multiphase flow model that accounts for fluid, thermal, and species transport related to the burnout gas and the MLCC region. This complete set of governing equations has been implemented within a single flow channel, where the inlet flow boundary condition is acquired from full-scale kiln computations. The temperature gradient near the MLCC region is very small, which allows the temperature of the MLCC to be approximated by the temperature at the tray surface. Consequently, the thermal field, without considering the MLCC, can be computed at a lower computational cost, which can then be used as input for additional analytical models to determine the binder removal ratio, the concentration of BBO gas, and the pressure buildup within the MLCC body. This framework has been validated and can be applied to full-scale kiln simulations, providing valuable insights for related industries to establish practical design principles.