Preparation and characterization of copper parts printed by electrochemical additive manufacturing process
Electrochemistry and Corrosion Laboratory, School of Mechanical Engineering and Rail Transit, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China
  • Volume
  • Citation
    Li X, Wu W, An Y. Preparation and characterization of copper parts printed by electrochemical additive manufacturing process. Adv. Manuf. 2025(2):0008, https://doi.org/10.55092/am20250008. 
  • DOI
    10.55092/am20250008
  • Copyright
    Copyright2025 by the authors. Published by ELSP.
Abstract

This study presents the development and optimization of an electrochemical additive manufacturing technique for the fabrication of copper parts with various geometries, including dots, lines, and complex shapes, on metallic substrates. A customized syringe-based printing system was designed to enable precise, localized electrochemical additive manufacturing. The influences of key process parameters, including deposition voltage, nozzle feed rate, nozzle-to-substrate distance, and inter-electrode gap, on the deposition rate, surface morphology, and microstructure of the copper parts were systematically investigated. The results indicate that increasing the deposition voltage accelerates the growth rate but compromises surface smoothness and crystalline refinement. Optimal printing deposition was achieved at an applied voltage of 3 V, a nozzle feed rate of 0.4 mm/s, a nozzle-to-substrate distance of 0.1 mm, and the electrode spacing of 0.3 mm, yielding dense and uniform copper structures, as confirmed by optical microscopy and surface profilometry. The study highlights how variations in process parameters influence the deposition speed, surface quality, and microstructure of copper parts, establishing an optimal range for process settings. These findings offer significant guidance for achieving high-performance metal additive manufacturing in the future.

Keywords

electrochemical additive manufacturing; Copper; process parameter

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