Process Modeling of 3D Electrodeposition Printing of Metallic Materials

3D electrodeposition printing is an emerging process for fabricating metallic parts with controllable geometry, yet the coupled influences of electrochemical kinetics, ion transport, and tool motion on layer height remain difficult to interpret. This work presents a physics-based process model that links key process inputs, current density, electrolyte concentration, the inter-electrode gap, and tool scanning speed, to the resulting layer height in 3D electrodeposition printing of nickel-based structures. The model combines species transport in the inter-electrode gap with Butler–Volmer kinetics, under carefully stated assumptions regarding current efficiency, overpotential, and lateral spreading. Model predictions are validated against experimentally reported layer heights over a range of process conditions, yielding average errors (9–15%) and root-mean-square errors (0.13–0.28 µm) that demonstrate good agreement and highlight the impact of simplifying assumptions. Systematic parametric studies reveal how each process input monotonically influences layer height in ways consistent with Faraday’s law and diffusion-controlled growth, while also quantifying the relative sensitivity to different parameters. Building on these results, we introduce a dimensionless 3D Electrodeposition Printing Index that consolidates the key process and material parameters into a single scalar describing the geometric growth regime. The index enables construction of process maps that capture how combinations of current density, scan speed, concentration, and gap affect achievable layer height within the validated operating window. The scope and limitations of the proposed modeling framework and the index, particularly regarding other materials, more complex geometries, and pulsed or strongly convective regimes, are explicitly discussed, providing a basis for future model extensions and experimental validation.