What is the tensile strength of a 5 µm Ø copper pillar produced by additive micromanufacturing (µAM)? Is it comparable to bulk copper?
Alemnis AG has partnered with Empa and Exaddon to perfect various material properties tests on printed objects.
Dr Johann Jakob Schwiedrzik and his team conducted tensile strength and yield tests using the Alemnis Standard Assembly (ASA) system. This equipment is unique in its ability to grip and test microscale parts; the jaws of the gripper in the video are less than 20 µm apart.
A microscale copper dogbone of 5 µm diameter printed with the Exaddon CERES system was used as the test piece within the ASA system. Subjected to slow and constant elongation with a standardized speed, the test piece exhibited the same behavior as expected from a conventionally produced macroscale specimen.
Tensile strength was 342.5 MPa and yield stress 320 MPa; values in line with cold drawn pure copper.
These results demonstrate the excellent material integrity of parts printed with the CERES system, and provide further motivation for the use of µAM in cutting-edge microscale applications.
See more examples of 3D structure testing here: