Lithography-Based Manufacturing Of Near Net Shape Dispersion Strengthened Copper Parts By Cuprous Oxide Reduction

Dispersion strengthening of copper enables the combination of high strength and high conductivity. However, production of dispersion strengthened materials is complex and only yields semi-finished products. The following work presents a new approach based on cuprous oxide as matrix with dispersed alumina. Powder mixtures are printed into a near net shape part via Lithography-based Metal Manufacturing. After debinding, cuprous oxide is reduced to copper in a hydrogen sintering atmosphere. Furthermore, the influence of milling the powder mixtures is investigated with samples produced by film drawing. Characterization includes scanning electron microscopy, Vickers hardness, and electrical conductivity measurements. Electrical conductivity reaches values of up to 78 % IACS. Vickers hardness surpasses pure copper, however, falls short of comparative values from the literature for dispersion-strengthened materials. Reasons for that are insufficient densification and suboptimal dispersoid distribution.