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Photochemical Copper Coating on 3D Printed Thermoplastics
Winco K C Yung1, Bo Sun1,2, Junfeng Huang1
1Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong, HKSAR.
Scientific Reports
|August 10, 2016
Summary
A new acrylic paint with malachite pigment allows easy copper coating on 3D prints using laser treatment. This method offers a cost-effective way to add metal finishes to 3D objects.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemistry
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- 3D printing with thermoplastics is popular but lacks simple metal coating methods.
- Existing metal coating techniques for 3D objects are often specialized and expensive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel acrylic paint containing malachite for copper coating on 3D printed objects.
- To demonstrate a cost-effective, one-step laser treatment for transforming the paint into a copper surface.
Main Methods:
- Development of a malachite-based acrylic paint suitable for brushing onto 3D printed objects.
- One-step laser treatment to induce photochemical transformation of malachite to copper.
- Characterization of material properties and photochemical processes using density functional theory (DFT) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).
Main Results:
- Successful transformation of the acrylic paint coating to a copper surface on 3D printed objects via laser treatment.
- Demonstration of functional copper coatings on prototypes like a Statue of Liberty model and a robotic hand with copper interconnections.
- Experimental and theoretical validation of the photochemical synthesis of copper from malachite.
Conclusions:
- The developed malachite-containing acrylic paint offers a novel and accessible solution for metal coating 3D printed parts.
- The photochemical reduction of malachite to pure copper is achievable with sufficient photon energy, enabling remote surface modification.
- This technique simplifies the process of adding conductive copper layers to complex 3D structures.
