Influence of Concentration of Copper Electrolyte, Voltage, and Time of Electroforming on Conductive Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Parts on Deposition Rate and Microstructure

This article presents a study on influence of Copper Concentration Electrolyte (CCE) and voltage on deposition rate of electroformed Conductive Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (CABS) produced through Fused Deposition Modeling. Additive manufacturing is widely recognized as a rapid production technology. In this research, copper electroforming was selected as subsequent treatment following additive manufacturing. The novelty lies in implementation of pre-treatment process involving electroforming. The pre-treatment process employs carbon conductive paint to render the ABS part conductive. The copper electroforming process involves the use of variable parameters such as electrolyte content of (100, 150, and 200 gram CuSO4 and 50 ml H2SO4) in 1 liter H2O, voltage (1, 2, and 3 Volts), and time (2, 4, 6 and 8 hours). The variables under observation include the copper deposition rate and the microstructure. The analysis of research based on Kruskal-Wallis test. The difference in electrolyte copper concentration and the coating time does not provide significant differences, while the duration of electroforming affects the thickness of the copper deposit. Furthermore, the concentration of copper electrolyte influences the solution’s conductivity, at high concentrations leading to improve conductivity and consequently facilitating a fast deposition rate. The difference in voltage has a significant effect on the deposition rate and microstructure. © 2024 The author(s).