Copper alloys are important in aerospace combustion chambers because of their distinctive thermal conductivity, ductility, and resistance to corrosion. Nevertheless, their excessive reflectivity to near-infrared lasers—particularly at 1064 nm—has traditionally restricted their viability in steel 3D printing. Farsoon, certainly one of China’s main industrial steel 3D printing corporations, started tackling this problem in 2017 by creating a copper-compatible course of on its FS271M platform. In 2023, the corporate superior this experience by way of a collaboration with a number one aerospace producer to co-develop a copper-focused, large-format system: the FS621M-Cu.
Constructed on the confirmed FS621M platform with a 620 × 620 × 1100 mm construct envelope, the FS621M-Cu makes use of 4 1000W ytterbium fiber lasers (1060–1080 nm) to deal with the reflectivity of copper alloys like CuCrZr. This permits for constant, high-quality printing of enormous, complicated aerospace elements that had been beforehand unprintable.
Amongst its most vital achievements is the 3D printing of liquid rocket engine thrust chamber liners—parts historically made by way of pricey and time-intensive spinning, machining, and brazing. Farsoon’s LPBF course of allows these chambers to be printed monolithically, integrating optimized cooling channels, lowering meeting steps, enhancing warmth switch, and enhancing engine efficiency.
Copper’s inherent properties—excessive conductivity and reflectivity—create dangers akin to porosity and warping throughout printing. Farsoon addressed this with improvements together with anti-reflective chamber coatings, exact thermal administration, and customised high-power laser parameters.
In August 2023, Farsoon’s aerospace accomplice printed a thrust chamber liner measuring 600 mm in diameter and 850 mm in peak—among the many largest monolithic copper alloy elements ever made through AM. The half achieved near-theoretical density (8.86 g/cm³), thermal conductivity over 345 W/(m·Okay), and pore-free inside constructions. Submit-build sharpening of cooling channels additional improved engine effectivity.
Mechanical checks on printed specimens revealed top-tier thermal efficiency: conductivity ≥345 W/(m·Okay), diffusivity ≥95 mm²/s, and particular warmth capability ≥0.35 J/(g·Okay). With optimized powder high quality and LPBF parameters, the shopper surpassed design necessities by over 50%, whereas chopping lead occasions to fifteen–20 days and prices by as much as 75%.
