Additive manufacturing of pure copper: a review and comparison of physical, microstructural, and mechanical properties of samples manufactured with Laser-Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF), Electron Beam Melting (EBM) and Metal Fused Deposition Modelling (MFDM) technologies

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has become a relatively common material forming technology these days, just like conventional processes (such as casting or forging). It makes it possible to produce components with complex geometries, often unachievable with conventional manufacturing processes. In order to be able to choose the most suitable AM process (among all the existing ones) for a targeted application, this study aims to compare the physical and mechanical properties of pure copper parts manufactured with four different metallic AM processes: Laser-Powder Bed Fusion using infrared (1) or green (2) laser beams, Electron Beam Melting (3) and Metal Fused Deposition Modelling (4). It has been demonstrated that the parts fabricated with the processes involving a full melting of the material present better properties from all points of view (mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties). In addition, it has been shown that even if pure copper is a challenging material in AM due to its high reflectivity under infrared laser and high thermal conductivity, it is possible to manufacture quasi-dense parts (> 99%) with mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties comparable to those of pure copper produced by conventional processes.