Additive manufacturing of conductive copper traces on 3D geometries by laser-sintering

These days, additive manufacturing processes cover an extensive range of materials. A new trend is a growing interest in the implementation of additional functions like electrical circuits. Combining full-surface primer and copper ink coating from printed electronics with laser processing enables integrating conductive traces directly on the surface of 3D-printed components. Pri ming reduces the roughness of the 3D printed circuit carrier below 100 nm. Afterward, the metal-containing ink is dip-coated, dried, and sintered locally by laser processing. The used laser system includes a focused and pulsed 1064 nm laser beam controlled by a scanner with three optical axes (x, y and z-direction). This research presents a detailed investigation on the influence of 3D geometrical factors like radii and sidewall angles on the resulting conductive trace resistance.