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Materialise (NASDAQ:MTLS) offers 3D printing services in a variety of materials. Now, i.materiliase (the service bureau wing of Materialise) has announced that it will include copper in this line-up.
Materialise (NASDAQ:MTLS) offers 3D printing services in a variety of materials. Now, i.materialise (the service bureau wing of Materialise) has announced that it will include copper in this line-up.
According to 3D Printing Industry:
As beautiful has that copper shine may be, any engineer will tell you that copper is also a highly functional material, for its thermal and electrical conductivity. Therefore, i.materialise’s new reddish material isn’t just ideal for jewelry and decorative items, but electronic parts. Polished both magnetically and by hand, printed copper objects can be optionally coated with polyurethane to protect against scratches, slow corrosion and tarnish.
Prints made with copper are crafted with the same lost-wax casting process as their gold, silver, bronze, and brass materials, with 3D printed wax items coated in plaster and burned out, to yield a plaster mold for subsequent metal casting. Because it uses the same process, the same technical guidelines applied to those other metals are in place for copper: minimum wall thickness of .5 mm, minimum details of .3 mm, and a max printing size of 88 x 63 x 125 mm.
Click here to read the full article on 3D Printing Industry.