Metal Additive Manufacturing: A Review
08 Apr 2014-Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance (Springer US)-Vol. 23, Iss: 6, pp 1917-1928
TL;DR: The state-of-the-art of additive manufacturing (AM) can be classified into three categories: direct digital manufacturing, free-form fabrication, or 3D printing as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: This paper reviews the state-of-the-art of an important, rapidly emerging, manufacturing technology that is alternatively called additive manufacturing (AM), direct digital manufacturing, free form fabrication, or 3D printing, etc. A broad contextual overview of metallic AM is provided. AM has the potential to revolutionize the global parts manufacturing and logistics landscape. It enables distributed manufacturing and the productions of parts-on-demand while offering the potential to reduce cost, energy consumption, and carbon footprint. This paper explores the material science, processes, and business consideration associated with achieving these performance gains. It is concluded that a paradigm shift is required in order to fully exploit AM potential.
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TL;DR: A review of the emerging research on additive manufacturing of metallic materials is provided in this article, which provides a comprehensive overview of the physical processes and the underlying science of metallurgical structure and properties of the deposited parts.
4,192 citations
Cites background from "Metal Additive Manufacturing: A Rev..."
...Wire and metallic sheet based AM processes are fast but lack dimensional accuracy and result in defects and poor surface finish especially for parts with complex shapes [13,14]....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the complex relationship between additive manufacturing processes, microstructure and resulting properties for metals, and typical microstructures for additively manufactured steel, aluminium and titanium are presented.
2,837 citations
Cites background from "Metal Additive Manufacturing: A Rev..."
...Schematics of an LMD set-up (from Frazier [38])....
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...Commonly repaired or produced parts are turbine blades, shafts and parts of gear mechanisms mostly made from steels, Ti and its alloys as well as Ni-based super alloys [38,39]....
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...The melt pool which is typically protected against oxidation by supplying argon or helium is produced by the energy input of an Nd:YAG, diode or CO2 laser and the metal powder is fed by a coaxial or multi-jet nozzle [38,39], cf....
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TL;DR: In this article, a review of additive manufacturing (AM) techniques for producing metal parts are explored, with a focus on the science of metal AM: processing defects, heat transfer, solidification, solid-state precipitation, mechanical properties and post-processing metallurgy.
Abstract: Additive manufacturing (AM), widely known as 3D printing, is a method of manufacturing that forms parts from powder, wire or sheets in a process that proceeds layer by layer. Many techniques (using many different names) have been developed to accomplish this via melting or solid-state joining. In this review, these techniques for producing metal parts are explored, with a focus on the science of metal AM: processing defects, heat transfer, solidification, solid-state precipitation, mechanical properties and post-processing metallurgy. The various metal AM techniques are compared, with analysis of the strengths and limitations of each. Only a few alloys have been developed for commercial production, but recent efforts are presented as a path for the ongoing development of new materials for AM processes.
1,713 citations
TL;DR: The approach to metal-based additive manufacturing is applicable to a wide range of alloys and can be implemented using a range of additive machines, and provides a foundation for broad industrial applicability, including where electron-beam melting or directed-energy-deposition techniques are used instead of selective laser melting.
Abstract: Metal-based additive manufacturing, or three-dimensional (3D) printing, is a potentially disruptive technology across multiple industries, including the aerospace, biomedical and automotive industries. Building up metal components layer by layer increases design freedom and manufacturing flexibility, thereby enabling complex geometries, increased product customization and shorter time to market, while eliminating traditional economy-of-scale constraints. However, currently only a few alloys, the most relevant being AlSi10Mg, TiAl6V4, CoCr and Inconel 718, can be reliably printed; the vast majority of the more than 5,500 alloys in use today cannot be additively manufactured because the melting and solidification dynamics during the printing process lead to intolerable microstructures with large columnar grains and periodic cracks. Here we demonstrate that these issues can be resolved by introducing nanoparticles of nucleants that control solidification during additive manufacturing. We selected the nucleants on the basis of crystallographic information and assembled them onto 7075 and 6061 series aluminium alloy powders. After functionalization with the nucleants, we found that these high-strength aluminium alloys, which were previously incompatible with additive manufacturing, could be processed successfully using selective laser melting. Crack-free, equiaxed (that is, with grains roughly equal in length, width and height), fine-grained microstructures were achieved, resulting in material strengths comparable to that of wrought material. Our approach to metal-based additive manufacturing is applicable to a wide range of alloys and can be implemented using a range of additive machines. It thus provides a foundation for broad industrial applicability, including where electron-beam melting or directed-energy-deposition techniques are used instead of selective laser melting, and will enable additive manufacturing of other alloy systems, such as non-weldable nickel superalloys and intermetallics. Furthermore, this technology could be used in conventional processing such as in joining, casting and injection moulding, in which solidification cracking and hot tearing are also common issues.
1,670 citations
TL;DR: The state-of-the-art of topological design and manufacturing processes of various types of porous metals, in particular for titanium alloys, biodegradable metals and shape memory alloys are reviewed.
1,393 citations
References
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors presented the various types of microstructure of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy after post-fabrication heat treatments below or above the β transus.
Abstract: Selective laser melting (SLM) is a rapid manufacturing process that enables the buildup of very complex parts in short delays directly from powder beds. Due to the high laser beam energy during very short interaction times and the high solidification rates of the melting pool, the resulting microstructure is out-of-equilibrium and particularly textured. This type of as-fabricated microstructure may not satisfy the aeronautical criterion and requires post heat treatments. Optimized heat treatments are developed, in one side, to homogenize and form the stable phases α and β while preventing exaggerated grain growth. In the other side, heat treatment is investigated to relieve the thermal stresses appearing during cooling. This study is aimed at presenting the various types of microstructure of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy after postfabrication heat treatments below or above the β transus. Tensile tests are then carried out at room temperature in order to assess the effect of the microstructures on the mechanical properties. The fine as-fabricated microstructure presents high yield and ultimate strengths, whereas the ductility is well below the standard. A strong anisotropy of fracture between the two loading directions is noted, which is attributed to the manufacturing defects. Conventional and optimized heat treatments exhibit high yield and ultimate strengths while the ductility is significantly improved. This is due to a new optimization of the process parameters allowing drastic reduction of the number of defects. These two heat treatments enable now a choice of the morphology of the grains between columnar or equiaxial as a function of the type of loading.
921 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the macrostructure, microstructure and mechanical properties of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy after WAAM deposition have been investigated, and the average yield and ultimate tensile strengths of the as-deposited material were found to be slightly lower than those for a forged Ti- 6Al 4V bar (MIL-T 9047), however, the ductility was similar and the mean fatigue life was significantly higher.
Abstract: Wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is a novel manufacturing technique in which large metal components can be fabricated layer by layer. In this study, the macrostructure, microstructure, and mechanical properties of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy after WAAM deposition have been investigated. The macrostructure of the arc-deposited Ti-6Al-4V was characterized by epitaxial growth of large columnar prior-β grains up through the deposited layers, while the microstructure consisted of fine Widmanstatten α in the upper deposited layers and a banded coarsened Widmanstatten lamella α in the lower layers. This structure developed due to the repeated rapid heating and cooling thermal cycling that occurs during the WAAM process. The average yield and ultimate tensile strengths of the as-deposited material were found to be slightly lower than those for a forged Ti-6Al-4V bar (MIL-T 9047); however, the ductility was similar and, importantly, the mean fatigue life was significantly higher. A small number of WAAM specimens exhibited early fatigue failure, which can be attributed to the rare occurrence of gas pores formed during deposition.
512 citations
01 Sep 2006
TL;DR: In this article, a cost model for laser sintering is proposed, which leads to graph profiles that are typical for layer-by-layer manufacturing processes, and the evolution of cost models and the indirect cost significance in modern costing representation is shown.
Abstract: Rapid manufacturing (RM) is a modern production method based on layer by layer manufacturing directly from a three-dimensional computer-aided design model. The lack of tooling makes RM economically suitable for low and medium production volumes. A comparison with traditional manufacturing processes is important; in particular, cost comparison. Cost is usually the key point for decision making, with break-even points for different manufacturing technologies being the dominant information for decision makers. Cost models used for traditional production methodologies focus on material and labour costs, while modern automated manufacturing processes need cost models that are able to consider the high impact of investments and overheads. Previous work on laser sintering costing was developed in 2003. This current work presents advances and discussions on the limits of the previous work through direct comparison. A new cost model for laser sintering is then proposed. The model leads to graph profiles that are typical for layer-manufacturing processes. The evolution of cost models and the indirect cost significance in modern costing representation is shown finally.
331 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated three case studies to reveal the extent to which DMD-based manufacturing of molds and dies can currently achieve reduced environmental emissions and energy consumption relative to conventional manufacturing pathways.
298 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the relationship between LAM processing parameters and microstructure in as-deposited Ti-6Al-4V was investigated, and the results presented in this paper provide a first look at the relationships between the two parameters.
Abstract: Laser additive manufacturing (LAM) is a manufacturing technique with cost-reduction potential for titanium aerospace components. The mechanical properties of LAM Ti-6Al-4V have been investigated extensively, but little work on microstructure evolution has been performed to date. The results presented here provide a first look at the relationships between LAM processing parameters and microstructure in as-deposited Ti-6Al-4V.
275 citations