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Asia Materials Latest News | A Deep Dive into the Properties of 3D-Printed CuCrZr
Release date:
2025-10-14
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Abstract
3D-printed CuCrZr properties Big Reveal ”
— Not one of them can be lacking: strength, thermal conductivity, or electrical conductivity. few
CuCr1Zr (UNS:C18150; EN:CW106C; GB/T41882) is a high-performance chromium–zirconium copper alloy. By adding elements such as chromium (Cr) and zirconium (Zr) to the copper matrix, it achieves a balanced combination of high strength, excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, superior wear resistance, and outstanding resistance to softening at elevated temperatures, making it highly sought after in industries like aerospace, nuclear energy, electronics and electrical appliances, industrial molds, and new energy. Meanwhile, the continuous advancement of 3D printing technology has opened up new avenues and potential application prospects for this alloy; among them, laser powder bed fusion (SLM) is an important technological direction for its utilization. Recently, the team at Asia New Materials (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Asia Materials”) conducted a full-process performance verification of powder-based SLM forming.
Powder properties
A major challenge in the preparation of CuCrZr powder lies in controlling the alloy composition, particularly the zirconium (Zr) content. Through targeted R&D efforts, we have successfully overcome this challenge. In addition to the standard CuCr1Zr grade—with Zr content ranging from 0.03% to 0.3%—we have also introduced high‑Zr formulations (Zr content 0.3%–0.6%) to meet the diverse end‑user requirements. Meanwhile, the levels of impurity elements such as Fe, Si, and O remain exceptionally low, ensuring excellent thermal and electrical conductivity. Furthermore, the powder’s hollow‑particle fraction is maintained at an extremely low level.
The optimized powder is suitable for a variety of technologies, including binder jetting (BJ), metal injection molding (MIM), selective laser melting (SLM), electron beam melting (EBM), and laser cladding (LC).
Figure 1: CuCrZr Composition Analysis Report
Figure 2: Hollow Pasta Test Report
Figure 3: Application areas and particle size distribution of CuCr1Zr
Printout Performance
There are two primary SLM fabrication approaches for CuCr1Zr alloy powder: one employs red‑light equipment, and the other uses green‑light equipment. This study focuses on investigating the alloy’s forming performance in the red‑light regime. The results show that the density of the printed parts can exceed 99.9%, with electrical conductivity ranging from 23.2% IACS to 24.4% IACS.
Figure 4: Microstructural image of the as‑printed sample (left); relationship between electrical conductivity and energy density (right);
Heat treatment performance
There are two main approaches to the heat treatment of CuCr1Zr alloy: one focuses on enhancing its thermal and electrical conductivity, while the other aims to improve its mechanical properties. In this study, we adopted the second heat‑treatment strategy and found that, regardless of the orientation—whether in the transverse or build direction—the alloy not only retained high strength but also maintained an elongation exceeding 20%. The material exhibited pronounced necking, and its electrical conductivity remained at 76% IACS, with a thermal conductivity reaching 325–340 W/(m·K). Moreover, the product demonstrated excellent uniformity, successfully achieving a favorable balance between mechanical and physical properties.
Figure 5: Inlaid specimen (left); room-temperature tensile specimen and high-temperature tensile specimen (right);
Table 1 Mechanical Properties of CuCr1Zr
Figure 6 Thermal conductivity of CuCr1Zr (at 25°C)
High-Temperature Service Performance
To investigate the high-temperature performance of CuCr1Zr under service conditions, its tensile properties at a temperature close to its upper limit—500°C—were examined. After heating the alloy in air to 500°C for 2 hours and holding it at that temperature for 30 minutes, it still exhibited excellent mechanical properties, maintaining high strength while achieving an elongation exceeding 10%. Therefore, based on these data, it is reasonable to conclude that CuCr1Zr delivers favorable performance across the range from room temperature up to 500°C, meeting customer requirements. If you are interested in its service performance at even higher temperatures, we recommend exploring another flagship product from Asia Materials: CuCrNb-42.
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