Evaluation of a Low-Cost System for Measuring Thermal Conductivity in 3D-Printed Metallic Structures

Abstract:

Novel injection moulding tools have been developed using metal additive manufacturing, particularly Selective Laser Melting (SLM). These technique enables the fabrication of new complex geometries, including the integration of lattice structures within components. These structures are renowned for their lightweight and high-strength characteristics. When designed with enhanced thermal properties, lattice structures have the potential to significantly improve the performance of injection moulding tools, where efficient thermal management is of importance. To realise these innovative thermal capabilities, a comprehensive investigation of the thermal behaviour and conductivity of the structures is essential. To this end, a cost-effective experimental setup has been designed and constructed. The system employs a comparative method, whereby heat flow through a 3D-printed sample is measured in series with a reference material. By analysing the temperature gradients across both bodies, the thermal conductivity of the printed structure can be accurately determined. BK7 glass is utilised as the reference material, due to its well-characterised and stable thermal conductivity. A key factor affecting measurement accuracy is interfacial thermal resistance, which arises at the contact interface between two materials and can hinder heat transfer. This resistance is influenced b the material properties, surface finish and contact pressure. To minimize the effect of interfacial resistance and ensure more reliable conductivity measurements, multiple tests are conducted on the same structure under varying temperature conditions. This approach facilitates the identification and compensation of thermal contact resistances.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 1039)
• Pages: 31-37
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-14SkXC
• Online since: January 2026
• Authors: Maria Helene Friedo*, Mike Thomas Hauschultz, Hannes Jacobs, Conrad Kallabis, Maria Richetta, Andrea Böhme, René Krenz-Baath
• Keywords: Injection Moulding, Lattice Structures, Low-Cost, Selective Laser Melting, Thermal Conductivity

References

[1] Du Plessis, A., Razavi, N., Benedetti, M., Murchio, S., Leary, M., Watson, M., Bhate, D., and Berto, F. 2022. Properties and applications of additively manufactured metallic cellular materials: A review. Progress in Materials Science 125, 100918.

DOI: 10.1016/j.pmatsci.2021.100918

[2] Küster, W., Bode, K.-H., and Fritz, W. 1968. Beitrag zur Messung der Wärmeleitfähigkeit von Metallen im Bereich von 0 bis 500°C. Wärme- und Stoffübertragung 1, 3, 129–139.

DOI: 10.1007/bf00751143

[3] Zhao, D., Qian, X., Gu, X., Jajja, S. A., and Yang, R. 2016. Measurement Techniques for Thermal Conductivity and Interfacial Thermal Conductance of Bulk and Thin Film Materials. Journal of Electronic Packaging 138, 4.

DOI: 10.1115/1.4034605

[4] Sarap, M., Kallaste, A., Ghahfarokhi, P. S., Tiismus, H., and Vaimann, T. 2022. Determining the Thermal Conductivity of Additively Manufactured Metal Specimens. In 2022 29th International Workshop on Electric Drives: Advances in Power Electronics for Electric Drives (IWED). IEEE, 1–4. DOI=.

DOI: 10.1109/IWED54598.2022.9722591

[5] Sparavigna, A. C. 2012. Measuring the Thermal Diffusivity in a Student Laboratory. ENG 04, 05, 266–271.

DOI: 10.4236/eng.2012.45035

[6] Price, D. M. and Jarratt, M. 2002. Thermal conductivity of PTFE and PTFE composites. Thermochimica Acta 392-393, 231–236.

DOI: 10.1016/s0040-6031(02)00105-3

[7] Janek, M., Kudelcik, J., Hardon, S., and Gutten, M. 2024. Novel, Cost Effective, and Reliable Method for Thermal Conductivity Measurement. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) 24, 22.

DOI: 10.3390/s24227269

[8] Antoniadis, K. D., Tyrou, A., Assael, M. J., Li, X., Wu, J., and Ebert, H.-P. 2020. Reference Correlations for the Thermal Conductivity of Solid BK7, PMMA, Pyrex 7740, Pyroceram 9606 and SS304. Int J Thermophys 41, 7.

DOI: 10.1007/s10765-020-02678-9

[9] Guo, Z.-Y., Zhu, H.-Y., and Liang, X.-G. 2007. Entransy—A physical quantity describing heat transfer ability. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 50, 13-14, 2545–2556.

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2006.11.034

[10] Cheung, S., Kang, J., Lin, Y., Goodson, K. E., Asheghi, M., and Gu, X. W. 2025. Triply periodic minimal surfaces for thermo-mechanical protection. Scientific reports 15, 1, 1688.

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-85935-x

[11] Park, K., Kim, S., and Kim, J. 2024. Forced convection heat transfer in AlSi7Mg lattice structures fabricated by additive manufacturing. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering 61, 105006.

DOI: 10.1016/j.csite.2024.105006

[12] Moustafa, A.R., Dinwiddie, R.B., Pawlowski, A.E., Splitter, D.A., Shyam, A., and Cordero, Z.C. 2018. Mesostructure and porosity effects on the thermal conductivity of additively manufactured interpenetrating phase composites. Additive Manufacturing 22, 223–229.

DOI: 10.1016/j.addma.2018.05.018