New Publication by NRT Trainee Vi Ho

We are excited to announce a new publication by NRT doctoral trainee Vi Ho, whose work explores advanced manufacturing methods for high-performance copper components.

📄 Publication: Powder Bed Fabrication of Copper: A Comprehensive Literature Review
📘 Journal: Metals, 2025
👥 Authors: Vi Ho, Leila Ladani, Jafar Razmi, Samira Gruber, Anthony Bruce Murphy, Cherry Chen, Daniel East, and Elena Lopez
🔗 Read the full article: https://doi.org/10.3390/met15101114

Summary:

Copper is a critical material for energy, electronics, and thermal management applications, but its high reflectivity and thermal conductivity have historically made it difficult to process using powder bed fusion (PBF) additive manufacturing.

In this comprehensive review, the authors analyzed and compared decades of research on laser-based and electron-beam-based PBF of copper. The key outcome of the study is a clear comparison of which technologies work best, and why:

• Green laser PBF and electron beam PBF consistently enable higher-density copper parts with superior electrical and thermal performance compared to traditional infrared laser systems.
• Infrared laser PBF can still be viable, but only within a much narrower processing window and with careful optimization of parameters and powder characteristics.

The paper provides practical guidance on selecting the most reliable PBF approach for manufacturing high-quality copper components, helping bridge the gap between research findings and real-world engineering applications.

Congratulations to Vi on this important contribution to the field of additive manufacturing.