Copper powders are used in additive manufacturing (AM) and advanced fabrication processes to produce components with high thermal and electrical conductivity, geometric complexity, and tailored microstructures. Successful AM with copper depends strongly on particle shape, size distribution, purity, and flowability, as well as on process-specific requirements.
Typical Additive Manufacturing Applications
Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF / SLM)
Copper powders are used in laser-based powder bed systems to manufacture:
- Heat exchangers
- Induction components
- Electrical conductors
- Thermal management parts with internal channels
Due to copper’s high reflectivity and thermal conductivity, powder quality is critical for process stability and part density.
Recommended copper powder types
- Highly spherical copper powder – excellent flowability and uniform layer spreading
- Narrow particle size distribution – consistent melting behavior
Binder Jetting
In binder jetting processes, copper powders are selectively bonded and later sintered to form:
- Complex copper components
- Porous structures
- Near-net-shape parts
Binder jetting allows:
- Lower thermal input during printing
- High geometric freedom
- Post-processing densification control
Recommended copper powder types
- Spherical copper powder – uniform packing and predictable sintering
- Fine irregular copper powder – tailored porosity and sinter neck formation
Directed Energy Deposition (DED)
Copper powders are used in DED systems for:
- Repair and refurbishment
- Functional material additions
- Large-format conductive components
These systems require powders with:
- Stable flow through delivery nozzles
- Consistent feed behavior
Recommended copper powder types
- Spherical copper powder – reliable powder feeding
- Medium particle size ranges – controlled deposition
Material Extrusion & Paste-Based Printing
Copper powders are incorporated into:
- Metal-filled filaments
- Paste or slurry-based AM systems
- Debinding and sintering workflows
These approaches enable:
- Low-cost prototyping
- Complex geometries
- Small-batch production
Recommended copper powder types
- Fine spherical copper powder – smooth extrusion and dispersion
- Fine irregular copper powder – enhanced sintering activity
Porous & Lattice Structures
Additive manufacturing enables copper parts with:
- Engineered porosity
- Lattice and cellular structures
- Enhanced surface area for heat or fluid transfer
These structures are used in:
- Heat exchangers
- Wicking components
- Thermal and electrical interfaces
Recommended copper powder types
- Spherical copper powder – dimensional accuracy
- Blended particle sizes – porosity control
Selecting the Right Copper Powder for Additive Manufacturing
| AM Requirement | Recommended Copper Powder |
|---|---|
| Powder flowability | Spherical copper powder |
| Uniform layer spreading | Spherical, narrow PSD |
| Laser-based processes | High-purity spherical powder |
| Binder jetting | Spherical or fine irregular powder |
| Controlled porosity | Irregular or blended powders |
| Extrusion-based AM | Fine spherical or irregular powder |
Key Considerations for AM Applications
When selecting copper powder for additive manufacturing, buyers should evaluate:
- Particle shape and sphericity
- Particle size distribution
- Flowability and apparent density
- Purity and surface oxidation
- Process compatibility (LPBF, binder jetting, DED, extrusion)
AM performance is influenced by both powder characteristics and machine parameters, and process validation is recommended.
Availability & Supply
Copper powders for additive manufacturing applications are available in:
- Production-scale volumes
- Medium quantities for pilot programs
- Small quantities for process development and testing
👉 Powder selection and availability depend on AM process type, machine requirements, and order size.
Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing
When a metal part is damaged in the form of a hole, crack or deep scratch, or change in size, it can be repaired by building up layers of the same metal on the damaged area followed by machining, grinding and polishing. There are a number of different methods you can use to build up enough metal in a cavity to fill it up. Cold spray, also known as supersonic particle deposition is one of the best methods.
In Cold Spray, powder particles (typically 10 to 50 µm) are accelerated to very high velocities (200 to 1000 m/s) by a supersonic compressed gas jet at temperatures well below their melting point. Upon impact with the substrate, the particles experience extreme and rapid plastic deformation which disrupts the thin surface oxide films that are present on all metals and alloys. This allows intimate conformal contact between the exposed metal surfaces under high local pressure, permitting bonding to occur and thick layers of deposited material to be built up rapidly. The deposition efficiency is very high, above 90% in some cases.
Cold spray process creates coatings with low porosity and low oxygen content.
Copper powders are widely used in cold spray processes, where solid copper particles are accelerated to high velocities and plastically deform upon impact to form dense, adherent metallic deposits. Because the process occurs below the melting point of copper, cold spray preserves material properties and minimizes oxidation.
Cold spray copper is used for:
- Repair and restoration of conductive components
- Build-up of wear-damaged surfaces
- Electrical and thermal coatings
- Additive build-up of near-net-shape copper features
Copper Powder for Cold spraying
There are three grades of copper powder that are recommended for cold spraying process. These powders are CU112SP, CU118SP and CU155A. These are low oxygen, high purity copper powders with spherical particles in the size range suitable for cold spraying. Copper powders grade CU301 and CU301E also can be used for cold spraying; however, the particles are not fully spherical and that can cause uneven layers.
Types of substrates for cold spraying
Cold spraying is not restricted to the same type of metal. you may cold spray copper powder on almost any type of substrate including but not limited to ceramic, fiberglass, steel, brass, zinc, aluminum, plastic and wood.
Recommended copper powder types
- Spherical copper powder – high flowability and consistent acceleration
- Narrow particle size distributions – stable deposition behavior
- High-purity copper powder – optimal bonding and conductivity
Disclaimer:
Additive manufacturing performance depends on powder properties, machine parameters, and post-processing conditions. Buyers are responsible for validating suitability for their specific AM process.