Development of copper wire laying techniques for 3D printing

Abstract

Additive manufacturing has evolved beyond fabricating standard components that possess only mechanical or structural functionalities into manufacturing components with multiple functionalities (multi-functional components). And the outlook of a standard 3D printer has changed into a multiple-process (multi-process) 3D printer or a hybrid 3D printer that fabricates parts with multi-functionalities. Recent interest in additive manufacturing came from the numerous benefits that additive manufacturing gives when employed to fabricate 3D electronics with multi-functionalities. This project aims to develop an automated large format hybrid 3D printer capable of embedding copper wire into its 3D printed substrate. In the literature review section, existing hybrid 3D printed with wire embedding capability and the application of such technology will be explored. In the material and methodology section, two newly developed copper wire laying techniques, the integration of plastic and copper wire printing, and a prototype cutter mechanism are detailed. Thus, an automated copper wire embedded print can be fabricated with the printer's functions established. Print characteristics, wire embedding quality, and substrate printing parameters range are then detailed. And finally, a multi-layer copper wire embedding print is manufactured as a heater application.