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: The thermal history developed in laser metal deposition (LMD) processes has been shown to be quite complex and results in the evolution of an equally complex microstructure as discussed by the authors, and a numerical thermal model based on the implicit finite-difference technique was developed to model LMD processes.
Abstract: The thermal history developed in laser metal deposition (LMD) processes has been shown to be quite complex and results in the evolution of an equally complex microstructure. A companion article (Part I. Microstructural Characterization) discussed the LMD of Ti-6Al-4V, where the resultant microstructure consists of a periodic, scale-graded layer of basketweave Widmanstatten alpha and a banding that consists of colony Widmanstatten alpha. In order to understand the microstructural evolution in Ti-6Al-4V, a numerical thermal model based on the implicit finite-difference technique was developed to model LMD processes. The effect of different laser-scan velocities on the characteristics of the thermal history was investigated using an eight-layer single-line build. As the laser-scan speed decreases and the position within a layer increases, the peak temperature increases. The heating rate and the peak thermal gradient within a deposited layer were shown to follow the same trend as the peak temperature after two layers were deposited on top of the substrate. In general, the laser-scan speed or z-position within a layer did not have a significant effect on the cooling rate. The cooling rate in a newly deposited layer decreases as the number of layer additions increases. Given the predicted temperature vs time profile from the thermal model, the evolution of phase transformations occurring in the deposit is mapped as each layer is deposited. As a result of the thermal cycling imposed by the periodic deposition of material, a characteristic layer, consisting of two regions heated above and below the beta transus, forms in layer n due to the deposition of layer n+1.
270 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the fatigue life of Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloys fabricated by EBM and LBM deposition techniques was investigated by three-point testing of rectangular beams of as-fabricated and electro-discharge machined surfaces under stress-controlled conditions at 10 Hz until complete fracture.
Abstract: Additive layer deposition techniques such as electron beam melting (EBM) and laser beam melting (LBM) have been utilized to fabricate rectangular plates of Ti-6Al-4V with extra low interstitial (ELI) contents The layer-by-layer deposition techniques resulted in plates that have different surface finishes which can impact significantly on the fatigue life by providing potential sites for fatigue cracks to initiate The fatigue life of Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloys fabricated by EBM and LBM deposition techniques was investigated by three-point testing of rectangular beams of as-fabricated and electro-discharge machined surfaces under stress-controlled conditions at 10 Hz until complete fracture Fatigue life tests were also performed on rolled plates of Ti-6Al-4V ELI, regular Ti-6Al-4V, and CP Ti as controls Fatigue surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy to identify the crack initiation site in the various types of specimen surfaces The fatigue life data were analyzed statistically using both analysis of variance techniques and the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis method with the Gehan-Breslow test The results indicate that the LBM Ti-6Al-4V ELI material exhibits a longer fatigue life than the EBM counterpart and CP Ti, but a shorter fatigue life compared to rolled Ti-6Al-4V ELI The difference in the fatigue life behavior may be largely attributed to the presence of rough surface features that act as fatigue crack initiation sites in the EBM material
258 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a microstructures and a columnar architecture as well as mechanical behavior of as-fabricated and processed INCONEL alloy components produced by additive manufacturing using electron beam melting (EBM) of prealloyed precursor powder are examined.
Abstract: Microstructures and a microstructural, columnar architecture as well as mechanical behavior of as-fabricated and processed INCONEL alloy 625 components produced by additive manufacturing using electron beam melting (EBM) of prealloyed precursor powder are examined in this study. As-fabricated and hot-isostatically pressed (“hipped”) [at 1393 K (1120 °C)] cylinders examined by optical metallography (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive (X-ray) spectrometry (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) exhibited an initial EBM-developed γ″ (bct) Ni3Nb precipitate platelet columnar architecture within columnar [200] textured γ (fcc) Ni-Cr grains aligned in the cylinder axis, parallel to the EBM build direction. Upon annealing at 1393 K (1120 °C) (hot-isostatic press (HIP)), these precipitate columns dissolve and the columnar, γ, grains recrystallized forming generally equiaxed grains (with coherent {111} annealing twins), containing NbCr2 laves precipitates. Microindentation hardnesses decreased from ~2.7 to ~2.2 GPa following hot-isostatic pressing (“hipping”), and the corresponding engineering (0.2 pct) offset yield stress decreased from 0.41 to 0.33 GPa, while the UTS increased from 0.75 to 0.77 GPa. However, the corresponding elongation increased from 44 to 69 pct for the hipped components.
241 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the thermal behavior during laser deposition with LENS is simulated numerically by using the alternate-direction explicit (ADE) finite difference method (FDM), and the simulation results showed that deposited material experiences a significant rapid quenching effect during the initial stages of deposition and can attain a very high cooling rate.
Abstract: Laser-engineered net shaping (LENS) is a rapid direct manufacturing process. The LENS process can be analyzed as a sequence of discrete events, given that it is a layer-by-layer process. The thermal history associated with the LENS process involves numerous reheating cycles. In this article, the thermal behavior during laser deposition with LENS is simulated numerically by using the alternate-direction explicit (ADE) finite difference method (FDM). The simulation results showed that deposited material experiences a significant rapid quenching effect during the initial stages of deposition and can attain a very high cooling rate. With an increase in deposit thickness, the rapid quenching effect decreases and eventually disappears. The effects of the processing parameters on the thermal behavior of deposited materials were also simulated and analyzed. The objective of this study is to provide insight into the thermal history during the LENS process, where the ability to correlate process parameters to microstructural evolution is a motivating force.
196 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the room temperature tensile properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy prepared under two different processing routes were evaluated and compared, one group of samples was prepared by conventional casting-forging-rolling into flat plates, and the other group were prepared by using Triton's Laser Free-Form Fabrication (LF3)™ processes, i.e., a laser was used to melt pre-alloyed powders of the required metallic composition as they were dropped onto a moveable substrate programmed to move in such a manner as to form a solid
Abstract: The room temperature tensile properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy prepared under two different processing routes were evaluated and compared. One group of samples was prepared by conventional casting-forging-rolling into flat plates. The other group was prepared by using Triton’s Laser Free-Form Fabrication (LF3)™ processes, i.e., a laser was used to melt pre-alloyed powders of the required metallic composition as they were dropped onto a moveable substrate programmed to move in such a manner as to form a solid alloy plate. Five populations of Ti-6Al-4V were evaluated: a standard wrought form, an as-deposited form, a machined as-deposited form, a heat-treated as-deposited form, and a machined as-deposited and heat-treated form. The poorest mechanical properties occurred with the rough surfaces, likely due to existing microcracks and stress concentrations. The LF3™ as-deposited material had mechanical properties comparable to, if not higher than, the mechanical properties of the wrought material. Further evaluations of the laser-formed material for complex spacecraft piece parts were warranted, specifically in regards to improving the surface finish of the materials.
182 citations