Swedish researchers and materials manufacturer demonstrate advancement in 3D-printed copper parts

Uppsala University used a patented Graphmatech technology to enhance copper used to 3D-print parts. Images: Simon Tidén, Uppsala University

Metal additive manufacturing has grown significantly the past few years because of the technology’s ability to produce customized and complex designs on demand, as well as offering more-sustainable manufacturing with reduced waste and lower material requirements.

Pure copper and some other metals, however, have proven challenging to print because of 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 parts.

Researchers at Sweden’s Uppsala University have collaborated with graphene materials company Graphmatech AB to demonstrate a way to significantly lower the reflectivity of copper powder, which would allow the printing of denser parts.

“By modifying the surface of the copper powder using Graphmatech’s patented graphene technology, we successfully reduced the reflectance by up to 67%,” said the Swedish company’s CEO, Dr. Mamoun Taher. The graphene survived the printing process to positively impact the density of the printed copper-graphene parts, significantly reducing their porosity.

The research is being undertaken by Prof. Ulf Jansson’s research group at the Uppsala University Ångström Laboratory with PhD candidate Simon Tidén.

Copper powder modified with Graphmatech’s patented graphene technology exhibited 67% less reflectivity.