Skoltech Finds a Viable Path for 3D Printing Aluminum Bronze

• Researchers from Skoltech, part of the VEB.RF group,  and collaborating institutions in Russia and India have turned their attention to one of additive manufacturing’s most closely watched material frontiers: copper alloys. Their work shows that with carefully tuned process parameters, laser powder bed fusion can produce aluminum bronze components that match, and in certain cases…

Researchers from Skoltech, part of the VEB.RF group, and collaborating institutions in Russia and India have turned their attention to one of additive manufacturing’s most closely watched material frontiers: copper alloys. Their work shows that with carefully tuned process parameters, laser powder bed fusion can produce aluminum bronze components that match, and in certain cases exceed, the performance of parts made through conventional manufacturing methods. The findings, published in Materials Characterization, open a credible route to printing heat exchangers, power electronics enclosures, and cooling components with complex geometries, parts where both thermal performance and structural integrity are non-negotiable. Why Copper Alloys Have Been Difficult to Print Aluminum bronze (Cu-