Optimizing Infill Patterns for Additive Copper

The Challenge

Pure copper additive manufacturing serves electrical and thermal management applications, but filament-based material extrusion (MEX) struggles with density. The strand-by-strand deposition process creates voids and interfaces that reduce both mechanical properties and electrical/thermal conductivity. Understanding how infill patterns and strand placement strategies affect final part properties is essential for optimizing the manufacturing process.

The Solution

This research systematically investigated strand deposition patterns and infill strategies using a commercially available copper filament (60 vol%, 93 wt% copper). A statistical design of experiments approach identified which processing variables most significantly affect density and mechanical properties in the finished parts.

Impulse excitation testing provided the rapid, non-destructive feedback essential for this optimization study. By measuring elastic modulus across multiple infill configurations, researchers could quantify how different deposition strategies affected part quality without destroying samples, enabling the large sample sets needed for statistical analysis while conserving expensive copper material.

Results

The research established clear relationships between strand placement strategies and final part properties, identifying optimal infill patterns for maximizing density in MEX copper components. These findings enable manufacturers to produce high-conductivity copper parts with improved consistency, while IET provides the quality verification needed for production implementation.

Key takeaway: Statistical design of experiments on strand deposition patterns identified optimal infill strategies for maximizing density in filament-based copper MEX parts without destructive testing.