PRODUCT REVIEWS Copper cooling plate
Alloyed recently returned from a busy and productive Formnext event in Frankfurt , and was pleased to have its additively manufactured copper cooling plate ( exhibited on its booth ) highlighted in the Cool Parts Show video series from Additive Manufacturing Media , Cincinnati , USA
Michael Holmes , MD at Alloyed , commented : “ Formnext 2021 was the first large-scale event that we have exhibited at since the merger of Betatype and Oxmet Technologies at the end of 2019 . The merger means that Alloyed offers a unique and complementary stack of technologies for the manufacture of advanced metal components by additive manufacturing ( AM ) and traditional means .
“ The company has developed and uses a proprietary computational platform and advanced materials modelling to identify the right alloy composition for any application and process . Alloyed ’ s Engine technology specifically for AM can deliver better functioning parts faster and more cost-effectively for a wide range of applications . Our turnkey solution provides technology at every scale from alloy composition , material engineering and part design through to scale for mass production . The cooling plate is a great example of what can be done when optimised AM geometry is combined with optimised AM material properties ,” he added .
The copper cooling plate is specifically designed for use in datacentres and , as a liquid cooling system , can have a significant impact on reducing energy usage compared to conventional air cooling methods . AM is a suitable technology to make cooling plates as more complex geometries can be produced less expensively and with greater functionality and performance — both in terms of heat exchanged and liquid pressure dropped .
The unibody nature of the additive part results in a simpler and more efficient component . Due to reduced assembly needs , the parts are also easier to install and have lower maintenance requirements . However , copper is a notoriously difficult metal to process using AM due to high thermal conductivity of the fused part and its high natural reflectivity .
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JX Nippon Mining & Metals ( JXNMM ) and Alloyed have partnered to offer a comprehensive portfolio of laser bed fusion solutions for copper and its alloys . JXNMM has developed copper powders with improved printability , allowing the production of parts with very low porosity and electrical conductivity .
This is done through a novel surface treatment which adds an anti-oxidation effect and prevents an increase in oxygen content . For electron beam processes , the surface treatment inhibits powder sintering ( thus increasing design flexibility ) and the surface treatment can also be used to increase absorptivity in laser beam systems . The powder can achieve relative densities of > 99.95 % using the electron beam process and 99.91 % using the laser bed process .
Enrique Alabort , cofounder of Alloyed and head of Alloyed Japan , said : “ The success of the copper cooling plate that was on show at Formnext is due to the combined expertise of Alloyed and JXNMM . The materials developed by JX allow Alloyed to use its proprietary Engine ® and Architect ® software to produce the high-fidelity complex geometries and lattice structures in the cooling plate . Alloyed specialises in the production of fine-featured components and can produce thin walls down to a mean thickness of 190 microns , and its expertise in design for AM allows it to extract the most value from the design freedom enabled by the process . This expertise is vividly shown in the design and production of the copper liquid cooling plate .”
Joining the Alloys-By-Design ( ABD ®) brand with Betatype and a facility that makes parts — Alloyed Digital Manufacture ( ADM ) — and partnering with specialist material developers ( such as JX ) means that Alloyed can offer customised alloys , high levels of advanced process control and performance metal AM production capabilities ( from application development through to production ).
“ In this way , we can provide customers with a palette of complementary expertise and services that optimise the production of metal parts through digital manufacturing ,” it concluded . n
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