We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to browse this website, you agree to our use of cookies. More information.
Photo Credit: koya979/Shutterstock.com
Additive manufacturing has brought enlightenment to many industries. It enables designers and engineers to produce complex shapes and customized products on demand in a more sustainable and waste-less manufacturing process.
The process involves printing items layer by layer using materials such as plastic or metals such as titanium, steel, and aluminum. However, not all metals are suitable. For example, pure copper is challenging due to its high reflectivity.
Researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden believe that they have overcome this problem by using Graphmatech's patented graphene technology to reduce ductility and ductile metal reflectance. The Swedish company has developed a next-generation material tailored from graphene.
Copper has excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, making it an ideal choice for heat exchangers, induction coils, electronics and even rocket engine parts. Unfortunately, these characteristics also make it difficult to process for additive manufacturing.
Powder bed fusion is a leading technology in the field of metal additive manufacturing. It uses a standard laser to fuse powdered metal into a three-dimensional object. However, copper is extremely reflective in the same wavelength range as these lasers. Therefore, only a small part of the laser energy is absorbed by the copper, resulting in low density of printed parts.
The equipment used in this process can be adjusted—requiring tremendous effort and expense—but it usually does not provide enough energy for the material to reform it into a denser component. Alternatively, a copper alloy with lower conductivity can be used, but this is not always ideal.
Swedish researchers collaborated with graphene materials company Graphmatech to show that the processability of copper powder can be improved while also enhancing the performance of the resulting printed parts. They reduce the reflectivity of copper powder and increase its printability for laser additive manufacturing, resulting in denser printed parts.
"By using Graphmatech's patented graphene technology to modify the surface of copper powder, we successfully reduced the reflectance by 67%," said Dr. Mamoun Taher, CEO of Graphmatech.
The researchers used Graphmatech's Aros graphene, a unique hybrid material that can separate graphene flakes when they are dispersed into other materials, thereby retaining many of the useful properties of graphene.
Copper powder is coated in graphene, which is environmentally friendly, cost-effective and scalable. The graphene survived the printing process, which positively affected the density of the printed copper-graphene parts and significantly reduced their porosity.
"The new process of coating metal powders with graphene opens up very interesting prospects for the design of new materials in various applications," pointed out Professor Ulf Janssen, whose research team in the Ångström laboratory is working on this initiative. Sex work.
"This 3D printable hybrid material has the potential to add value in a range of fields such as electric vehicles, electronics and defense," Dr. Tahe added.
Graphmatech has made significant progress in other graphene metal composite materials and coating powders for additive manufacturing, and is now actively expanding the scale of this technology. The company's graphene technology development is designed to help change our work, travel and lifestyle.
Technological improvements such as these are critical to copper additive manufacturing processes and materials. The potential for additive manufacturing using copper and copper alloys is growing rapidly. It is estimated that by 2029, the market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 43%, and the metal shipments used for this purpose will exceed 1.4 million kilograms during the same period.
Powder bed fusion and metal bonding printing may benefit from the increase in copper printing, but other areas will also benefit. In addition to defense and electric vehicles, this technology may also be used in electronics and medical equipment.
Graphmatech (2021) Graphmatech's graphene technology unlocks the potential of copper additive manufacturing, Graphmatech.com, https://www.graphmatech.com/graphmatechs-graphene-technology-unlocks-the-potential-of-copper-additive- manufacturing/. Visited 11 games in 2021.
eos, copper alloy for additive manufacturing, eos [online] https://www.eos.info/en/additive-manufacturing/3d-printing-metal/dmls-metal-materials/copper. Visited on March 11, 2021.
Heraeus Group, Copper Alloys-Powder for Additive Manufacturing, Heraeus Group [Online] https://www.heraeus.com/en/group/products_and_solutions_group/additive_manufacturing/metalpowders/copper_1/copper.html. Visited on March 11, 2021.
SmarTech Markets Publishing (2020), is expected to deliver more than 1.4 million kilograms of copper powder for additive manufacturing by 2029, GlobeNewswire [online] https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/05/19/ 2035707/0 /en/Over-1-4-Million-Kg-of-Cupper-Powders-for-Additive-Manufacturing-Expected-to-Ship-by-2029.html. Visited on March 11, 2021.
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the author in a personal capacity, and do not necessarily represent the views of the owner and operator of this website AZoM.com Limited T/A AZoNetwork. This disclaimer forms part of the terms and conditions of use of this website.
Since 2016, Kerry has been a freelance writer, editor, and proofreader, specializing in science and health-related subjects. She has a degree in natural sciences from the University of Bath and lives in the UK.
Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your paper, essay, or report:
Graphics technology. (2021, March 12). Graphmatech's graphene technology and the future of copper additive manufacturing. AZoNano. Retrieved from https://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=5670 on November 22, 2021.
Graphics technology. "Graphmatech's graphene technology and the future of copper additive manufacturing". AZoNano. November 22, 2021. <https://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=5670>.
Graphics technology. "Graphmatech's graphene technology and the future of copper additive manufacturing". AZoNano. https://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=5670. (Accessed November 22, 2021).
Graphics technology. 2021. Graphmatech's graphene technology and the future of copper additive manufacturing. AZoNano, viewed on November 22, 2021, https://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=5670.
Do you have comments, updates, or anything you want to add to this article?
AZoNano talked to Dr. Jinian Yang about his participation in research on the benefits of flower-like nanoparticles on the performance of epoxy resins.
We discussed with Dr. John Miao that this research has changed our understanding of amorphous materials and what it means for the physical world around us.
We discussed NANO-LLPO with Dr. Dominik Rejman, a wound dressing based on nanomaterials that promotes healing and prevents infection.
The P-17 stylus profiler surface measurement system provides excellent measurement repeatability for consistent measurement of 2D and 3D topography.
The Profilm3D series provides affordable optical surface profilers that can generate high-quality surface profiles and true color images with unlimited depth of field.
Raith's EBPG Plus is the ultimate product of high-resolution electron beam lithography. EBPG Plus is fast, reliable, and high-throughput, making it ideal for all your lithography needs.
AZoNano.com-AZoNetwork website
Owned and operated by AZoNetwork, © 2000-2021