This work presents a comprehensive investigation into the optimization of critical process parameters associated with metal fused filament fabrication (Metal-FFF) for the production of copper-based components. The study focused on three different commercial and one self-manufactured filament, each with unique chemical compositions. These filaments were systematically optimized and the density was characterized for all processing steps, as well as the electrical conductivity on the specimen scale. Remarkably, two of the studied filaments exhibited exceptional properties after sintering with forming gas (up to 94% density and $55.75$ M$\mathrm{S}$/$\mathrm{m}$ electrical conductivity), approaching the properties measured for established manufacturing methods like metal injection molding. Finally, the research was extended to component-scale applications, demonstrating the successful fabrication of inductors with integrated cooling channels. These components exhibited water tightness and were used in induction hardening experiments, validating the practical utility of the optimized Metal-FFF process. In summary, the results show great promise in advancing the utilization of Metal-FFF in industrial contexts, particularly in the production of high-performance copper components.

In the field of metal additive manufacturing, laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) stands out for its maturity. The path the laser takes over the powder, in this study AlSi10Mg, is determined by a large set of separate parameters; the combination of which offers ample room for optimization. The close ties between the parameters chosen, and the resulting mechanical properties, are what motivates the extensive research done in this field. This study changed the scan line path into a circular oscillation (prolate trochoid) and narrows down a large set of parameters to two sets that exhibit significant differences from traditional scan lines in terms of density, porosity distribution, tensile strength, elongation at fracture, hardness, surface roughness, and melt pool (MP) shape. Remarkable upper bounds for MP size were also characterized for the first time in this work. Some of the noteworthy findings consist of an up to 70% reduction in surface roughness, up to a 40% increase in the elongation at fracture, and up to a $${150}\,{\upmu }\textrm{m}$$ 150 μ m range of hatching distances to produce a part with under 0.5% porosity. The last of which leads to an overall increase in the robustness of the L-PBF manufacturing process by reducing the sensitivity to parameter fluctuations.