Micro-precision additive manufacturing of copper powder using femtosecond laser pulses

Green and blue lasers have seen increased use in manufacturing of copper. They offer great advantages compared to common IR lasers especially in additive manufacturing. We tested the feasibility of a low average power femtosecond lasers at a centre wavelength of 515nm for use in micron-precision additive manufacturing of copper particles. A laser beam with an average power of 4W in the near IR was used to achieve second harmonic generation, and the resulting green beam was used to melt copper particles with sizes between 30 and 50µm. Melting of the powder was achieved and small two-dimensional structures were created.