A few number of companies are addressing the challenges of pure copper in additive manufacturing. Markforged joined this limited number of players today. The manufacturer of metal 3D Printers Metal X Systems has made the manufacturing of pure on its system a reality.
“Copper powers our world. It’s everywhere. It builds our cars, enables phones, and keeps electrical equipment running,” said Greg Mark, Markforged CEO and Founder. “Copper has traditionally been an expensive and challenging material to machine and incompatible for 3D printing in a pure form with other techniques. Now, we’ve made it easier and cheaper to produce. Markforged 3D printed Copper will be a game-changer for the automotive and electronics industries, and it will open the door to innovation across many more.”
Copper is the latest metal to join the materials portfolio of Markforged – which already includes aerospace superalloys like Inconel 625, 17-4 PH Stainless Steel, H13 Tool Steel, D2 Tool Steel, and A2 Tool Steel.
Furthermore, the manufacturer is currently gaining momentum since it is now able to assure safe manufacturing conditions to users that will leverage its technology.
The company promises big change in the automotive industry
Pure copper delivers several benefits including the ability to leverage high thermal and electrical conductivity — including greater than 350 W/mK thermal conductivity and 84% IACS electrical conductivity; the possibility to efficiently create complex, tight tolerance parts with the safe, easy, and affordable Metal X system as well as the option to envision real part production in-house, reducing lead time to a few days.
“Every automotive factory in the world uses copper for welding,” Greg Mark added. “Complex production parts are required to weld tight spots of the car body. They cost thousands of dollars to make and can have months-long lead times. But Markforged is changing all of that by enabling manufacturers to produce parts in-house so they get them faster and for significantly lower costs. With our 3D printed parts, automotive manufacturers can print the parts they need on demand instead of holding significant inventory and will be able to design new kinds of welding shanks that were never before possible.”
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