Thursday, February 20, 2020
Metal X can now 3D print pure copper parts
US manufacturer Markforged last week announced the ability to 3D print pure copper parts on its Metal X machine, a metal additive manufacturing solution that is relatively more affordable than competing systems. This is exciting news for all metal 3D printing users as copper remains a difficult material to print via a laser melting powder bed process. The addition of copper to its range of materials, in filament form, should enable Markforged to produce complex components with high electrical and thermal conductivity.
In 2017, Markforged presented its first metal 3D printer, the Metal X, whose printing process is similar to MIM (metal injection moulding). It is based on an extrusion process, like the other machines in the manufacturer's range, and can now create parts in steel, Inconel and now copper - metals that will be found in a filament form. The user could therefore obtain parts in pure copper, which is unusual in the additive manufacturing market. Indeed, copper in powder form is difficult to 3D print via a laser process because the metal reflects light so well that it will also reflect a large part of the energy needed to manufacture the part. Only a few players such as GE Additive or Optomec offer this material for their machines while the others rely on copper alloys.
Source : 3Dnatives
