Influence of phosphorus element on direct laser sintering of multicomponent Cu-based metal powder

This article presents a detailed investigation on the influence of the phosphorus element upon the laser sintering of a multicomponent Cu-based metal powder system consisting of Cu, Cu-10Sn, and Cu-8.4P. Powder systems containing 0, 10, 15, and 20 wt pct CuP were sintered in atmosphere at room temperature using the following optimal processing parameters: laser power of 350 W, scan speed of 0.04 m/s, scan line spacing of 0.15 mm, and layer thickness of 0.25 mm. It was found that the relative density of the sintered sample with 15 wt pct CuP increased by 24,4 pct as compared with the sample without phosphorus addition. A further increase in the CuP content (≥20 wt pct), however, resulted in a poor densification with a serious delamination. The exact metallurgical roles of the phosphorus element in the laser sintering process were addressed as follows. First, the phosphorus could prevent the sintering system from oxidation by forming CuPO₃, thereby improving the wetting characteristics and the sintering kinetics. Second, the phosphorus could decrease the surface tension of molten materials, leading to a successive transition from highly discontinuous sintered tracks to fairly coherent ones with increasing the phosphorus content. Third, the phosphorus could lower the melt viscosity, thereby improving the microstructural homogeneity of the laser-sintered samples.