Additive manufacturing of pure copper: From numerical simulations to experimental results

Additive manufacturing (AM) of pure copper using laser assisted powder bed fusion (LPBF) at a wavelength of 1070 nm is demonstrated. The rapid drop of absorption at the melting point of pure copper hinders the identification of an appropriate processing window. With a combination of an extensive parameter study and a comprehensive analysis using a multiscale numerical model of the LPBF process different processing windows extending over a wide range of incident laser powers were verified. The model allows to investigate the sensitivity of single parameters, and thereby gives the opportunity to carefully adjust the strategy of the AM process.