Manufacturing of high strength and high conductivity copper with laser powder bed fusion

Abstract Additive manufacturing (AM), known as 3D printing, enables rapid fabrication of geometrically complex copper (Cu) components for electrical conduction and heat management applications. However, pure Cu or Cu alloys produced by 3D printing often suffer from either low strength or low conductivity at room and elevated temperatures. Here, we demonstrate a design strategy for 3D printing of high strength, high conductivity Cu by uniformly dispersing a minor portion of lanthanum hexaboride (LaB 6 ) nanoparticles in pure Cu through laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF). We show that trace additions of LaB 6 to pure Cu results in an improved L-PBF processability, an enhanced strength, an improved thermal…

• NU
  Northwestern University
• UO
  University of Queensland
• NP
  Northwestern Polytechnical University
• AC
  Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Sydney
• SK
  State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing

  Award: SKLSP202319