Researchers from the University of Twente are 3D printing metals such as copper and gold by depositing tiny droplets using a laser.
Printing metals is usually very difficult because they melt at such a high temperature. However, controlled placement can be achieved by melting the metals into micrometer-sized droplets using high-energy laser light. Then, the drop can be carefully moved and stacked onto a substrate.
The high melting point that makes metals difficult to manipulate when printing is the same thing that will make printed metal pieces valuable: the University of Twente suggested that the printing technique could be used to make small cooling elements or connections between stacked chips in cell phones.
3D printing with metals achieved
A team of researchers from the Univ. of Twente has found a way to 3D print structures of copper and gold, by stacking microscopically small metal droplets. These droplets are made by melting a thin metal film using a pulsed laser. If metals could be used for 3D printing as well, this would open a wide new range of possibilities.
Filed Under: Materials • advanced