Localized Electrochemical Deposition for Additive Manufacturing of 3D Array Metal Microstructures

With the recent rapid development of precision manufacturing and microelectronics, the fabrication of 3D array metal microstructures is a crucial and challenging problem in manufacturing. Based on the principle of reduced deposition of metal ions, the localized electrochemical deposition additive manufacturing technique has distinct advantages in the fabrication of metal microstructures, and its low cost facilitates a wide range of applications. This study used the micro-additive manufacturing technique of localized electrochemical deposition (LECD-μAM) to investigate the influence of extrusion pressure driving electrolyte solution flow on deposition results by simulation and experiment. Subsequently, a deposition body with a flat and smooth surface was realized based on pressure regulation. Sediments produced by this technique are of superior purity, containing up to 99.5% copper. At the same time, this technique has the advantage of low environmental dependence and high surface quality. It enables the additive manufacturing of complex 3D array metal microstructures at micron and submicron scales by localized electrochemical deposition. With the advantages of simple preparation, low cost, short preparation cycle, and controllable structure, this approach has a wide range of promising applications in various fields with significant potential.