Copper and its alloys are applied to the mold manufacturing industry due to its excellent thermal conductivity, and selective laser melting(SLM)technology can effectively form high-performance complex structure molds. At present, there are few researches on SLM forming copper and its alloys. The process parameters of SLM forming pure copper are systematically studied, and the microstructure, phase and mechanical properties of the pure copper blocks formed under the optimum process window are obtained. Under the optimal combination of laser power of 360 W and scanning speed of 600 mm/s, a pure copper sample with a density close to 88% was obtained. The Vickers hardness of the surface and side views were 42.9±6.8 and 32.8±4.5 HV, respectively. The average tensile strength and elongation of the samples were 95.0 ± 24.2 MPa and 8.9 ± 3.8%, respectively. This study provides theoretical and technological reference for the application of SLM formed pure copper to industry, especially mold manufacturing.