Copper

Copper in Additive Manufacturing: Newbie on the Rise

Copper 3D printing is one of the newest areas of additive manufacturing - and one of the most growing. Until a few years ago, it was problematic to impossible to print three-dimensional objects with copper because the metal's reflectivity and high thermal conductivity made it difficult to use conventional 3D printers.

As a pioneer in the field of copper 3D printing, EOS has mastered these challenges, so today advanced applications can be printed using copper, from rocket propulsion systems to copper coils. The material properties of copper make it ideal for any application requiring good conductivity - both in thermal and electronic terms. In the past, copper parts had to be forged, cast or machined. 3D printing with copper now makes it possible to produce much more complex geometries that, for example, increase the efficiency of electric motors or enable new types of heat sinks in power electronics.

EOS Copper Materials

The copper family includes Cu, CuCP and CuCrZr alloys developed and qualified for use with EOS metal systems. They all impress with good electrical and thermal conductivity, making them suitable for a wide range of applications.

All our copper materials are well tried and tested as consistent and reproducible part quality is essential for applications in many industries. For more transparency, we at EOS adapted the Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) concept developed by NASA for our 3D printing materials.

Our EOS Copper CuCP and EOS CopperAlly CuCrZr are TRL 5 materials. They are delivered with a lot specific MTC (according to EN 10204, type 3.1). EOS Copper Cu is a TRL 3 material which is supplied with a material test report MTR (according to EN 10204, type 2.2) showing chemical properties and grain size distribution.