A Complete Guide to Aluminum 3D Printing

Aluminum is one of the most popular metals in the field of industrial production and, more specifically, in additive manufacturing. It is a strong, lightweight metal alloy that offers an ideal combination of mechanical and thermal properties. Companies involved in materials development, especially for additive manufacturing, offer a wide variety of aluminum alloys intended for metal 3D printing. These materials are truly versatile and offer a multitude of benefits depending on the properties required for each application. To better understand the properties of this metal and the benefits it brings to 3D printed parts, we took a closer look in this complete guide.

Material Characteristics

Aluminum (Al), with atomic number 13, is a chemical element present everywhere in the earth’s crust. It is a non-ferromagnetic metal, i.e. it cannot be magnetized by a magnetic field. Many of the aluminum alloys available for additive manufacturing consist of a combination of metallic and metalloid elements, including aluminum, silicon, magnesium or copper. Some of the most popular aluminum alloys are:

• AlSi7Mg – Aluminum with silicon (7%) and magnesium alloys
• AlSi10Mg – Aluminum with silicon (10%) and magnesium alloys
• AlSi12 – Aluminum with silicon alloy (12%)
• AlSi9Cu3 – Aluminum with silicon alloys (9%) and copper (3%)

Photo Credits: GE

The raw material from which aluminum is extracted is the mineral known as bauxite. To obtain aluminum, bauxite is first transformed into alumina by the Bayer process, and then the aluminum is extracted by a process called electrolysis. In addition to being a light metal with a low melting point, aluminum is a very good electrical and thermal conductor. The industrial use of aluminum has made it one of the most important materials, both in terms of quantity and variety of uses. Let us now see how this metal is used in the field of additive manufacturing.