Development of metal matrix composites by laser-assisted additive manufacturing technologies: a review

Abstract

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) generally possess superior properties than the monotonic matrix alloys, and thus, they have become excellent candidate materials in various applications. Also, the ability of property tailoring at an affordable cost is of particular importance to industries. Among the many manufacturing techniques for MMCs, laser-assisted additive manufacturing (AM) techniques have emerged and drawn increasing attention in the past decade. In the literature, a wealth of studies have been carried out on the synthesis of MMCs via laser-assisted AM techniques, as well as the property evaluation of the obtained MMCs. In this paper, we review and analyze the relevant literature and summarize the material preparation, optimization of process parameters, resultant improvements, and corresponding strengthening mechanisms for each major category of MMCs. Moreover, the limitations and challenges related to MMC synthesis using the laser-assisted AM techniques are discussed, and the future research directions are suggested to address those issues.