Graphmatech’s Graphene Technology Unlocks the Potential of Copper Additive Manufacturing
Written by AZoMFeb 10 2021
Researchers at Uppsala University, in collaboration with Swedish graphene materials company Graphmatech, have demonstrated a potential breakthrough in the printability of copper for laser additive manufacturing (AM), significantly lowering the reflectivity of copper powder to achieve more dense printed parts.
Copper powder was coated using Graphmatech’s patented graphene technology. Image Credit: Simon Tidén / Uppsala University
Related Stories
Additive manufacturing of metals has seen rapid uptake across a range of industries due to its ability to produce customized and complex designs on demand, as well as offering more sustainable manufacturing with reduced waste and lower material requirements.
Swedish group uses graphene to progress copper 3D printing
10 Feb 2021
Uppsala University and Graphmatech report breakthrough in printability of copper for laser additive manufacturing.
The partners say they have achieved this by âsignificantly lowering the reflectivity of copper powder to achieve more dense printed parts.â
In recent years, additive manufacturing of metals has seen rapid uptake across a range of industries due to its ability to produce customized and complex designs on demand, as well as offering more sustainable manufacturing with reduced waste and lower material requirements.
However, some metals, including pure copper, have proven a challenge due to their high reflectivity. At the wavelengths commonly used in laser powder bed fusion (the dominant technology in metal AM), only a small part of the energy is absorbed by the material, resulting in low density printed parts.