Lithography-Based Metal Manufacturing of Copper: Influence of Exposure Parameters on Green Part Strength

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Jakob Scheibler - , Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (Author)
  • Alina Sabine Kosmehl - , Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (Author)
  • Thomas Studnitzky - , Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (Author)
  • Chongliang Zhong - , Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (Author)
  • Thomas Weißgärber - , Chair of Powder Metallurgy, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (Author)

Abstract

Copper’s high thermal and electrical conductivity enables its application in heat exchangers and high-frequency components. For those applications, additive manufacturing has advantages with respect to functional integration, miniaturization, and reduced waste. However, the processing of copper is a challenge for established laser-based processes since copper’s high reflectivity impedes energy input. Sinter-based additive manufacturing processes do not exhibit this limitation since the energy for the fusion of material is applied by thermal energy during sintering. This makes them an ideal candidate for copper manufacturing. In the following work, Lithography-based Metal Manufacturing (LMM) of copper is demonstrated. Curing behavior is investigated by single-layer exposure (SLE) tests measuring curing thickness for different loading factors, particle sizes, and exposure times. Bending strength is investigated as a function of exposure time, loading factor, and orientation in the building space. A higher exposure time and lower loading factors increase bending strength. Furthermore, samples with different loading factors are produced to measure the impact of the loading factor on sintered density. For these parameters, no clear trend is demonstrated.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number1268
Number of pages18
JournalMetals
Volume14
Issue number11
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

Keywords

  • green strength, lithography-based metal manufacturing (LMM), metal additive manufacturing, sinter-based additive manufacturing, vat photopolymerization