Additive Manufacturing of Metallic Multi-Material Parts: Local Conductivity Adjustment through Functionally Graded Material Transitions of 316L and CuCrZr

Abstract

Recently, powder bed-based additive manufacturing has made it possible to produce metallic multi-material parts where the material can be varied within the build plane voxel by voxel. This capability enables the realization of functionally graded materials for selective adjustment of local part properties, such as heat dissipation. In this study, the effect of location-dependent property adjustment using functionally graded materials is investigated for the combination of 316L and CuCrZr in terms of conductivity. Functionally graded test specimens were successfully produced with voxel sizes of 1 mm and 2 mm, demonstrating the influence of geometry-dependent material gradients on conductivity properties. Additionally, the study reveals a significant improvement in conductivity of CuCrZr by a factor of more than 4 following heat treatment. Nevertheless, the resolution of the gradient is limited by the manufacturing facility in terms of the minimum possible voxel size.