Direct Conductive Patterning on 3D Printed Structure Using Laser

Recently, several investigations have been reported on hybrid technology that embeds circuits on 3D printed models during processing. A new direct fabrication method of conductive patterns on 3D printed structure with laser is suggested for process simplicity. In order to fabricate conductive patterns, a conventional 1064 nm fiber laser is utilized to selectively remove the polymer and connect the copper particles to each other. The fabricated patterns achieve high conductivity with a resistance of 0.15 Ω cm⁻¹ when the length of the pattern is 50 mm. In this study, the surface property changes of the 3D printed structure through laser irradiation are presented and the influences of the laser parameters, including average power, scanning mode (repetition rate), scanning speed, and scan line spacing, on the process efficiency are investigated. Finally, a prototype of an electronic circuit is made and demonstrated for powering up LEDs. The proposed method allows to easily and rapidly fabricate high conductive patterns on complex 3D structures by combining the additive manufacturing technology with laser irradiation.