Bronze

Bronze is a reddish-brown metal alloy in the “red metal” family made up of 88% copper, and 12% tin. It’s malleable (but harder than copper) so it’s easy to manufacture into different products and has low metal-to-metal friction. It also forms a natural protective layer (patina) on its surface that keeps it corrosion-resistant. Depending on what properties are needed, it’s sometimes mixed with other elements like phosphorus, silicone, or zinc. It’s made using the bronze casting process where it’s melted and mixed with whatever other elements needed, poured it into molds, and allowed to cool and harden. Here’s a cool object (if we do say so ourselves) we 3D printed with bronze: