  Electrical conductors are usually made of pure copper because this material
shows outstanding electrical conductivity (IACS > 100%). Additive manufacturing
can be used to further improve the performances of such electrical conductors
because it enables to consider sophisticated geometries impossible to be
fabricated by conventional processing routes such as casting, machining or hot
forming. In the present work, Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion is optimized to
achieve dense pure copper specimens (relative density >99.9%). Only few
residual spherical pores inherited from the as-received powder particles are
detected in the samples as nicely revealed by X-ray microtomography scans.
Three different build orientations, namely 0{\textdegree}, 45{\textdegree} and
90{\textdegree} with respect to the build direction are produced. The
microstructures are characterized using optical microscopy and EBSD
measurements. The electrical conductivity is measured using the Eddy current
method as well as the four-probes method while the mechanical properties are
assessed using Vickers microhardness and tensile mechanical testing. The
electrical and mechanical performances are discussed in the light of the
microstructural characterizations, and further compared with a cold-worked
Cu-ETP sheet subjected to an annealing treatment. It demonstrates that E-PBF is
able to reliably produce components made of pure Copper whose properties equal
those of pure copper fabricated by more conventional processing routes,
regardless of the build orientation.
