Three-Dimensional Printing GRCop-42

GRCop-42 (Cu-4 at.% Cr-2 at.% Nb) is a copper (Cu)-chromium (Cr)-niobium (Nb) alloy that NASA developed for use in rocket propulsion components that required high thermal conductivity, excellent creep resistance, low-cycle fatigue life, and strength at elevated temperatures, such as combustion chamber liners and fuel injector face plates. Using powder bed fusion (PBF) 3D printing, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) successfully printed near-fully-dense GRCop-42 components that may equal to or exceed their traditionally manufactured predecessors. This Technical Memorandum serves to summarize the process that was developed to achieve 3D printable near-fully-dense and functional GRCop-42.