Processes and applications of metal additive manufacturing

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is an appropriate name to describe the technologies that erect 3D objects by enumerating layer-upon-layer of material, hence the name additive, whether the material is thermoplastic, metal, concrete, exclusive materials such as ceramics, carbon fibre or even human tissues. A 3D Slicing programme (to slice the 3D model into successive layers), machine equipment configuration, and material layering are all popular AM technologies. The Slicing programme decodes data from the CAD file, slices it into successive layers, and converts it to G-codes after it is created. When we run this G-code in the AM System, the computer builds a 3D component by layering liquid resin, powder, or solid filaments on top of each other. Rapid prototyping (RP) is one of the quickest-growing automated manufacturing innovations, with the ability to go from CAD models to finished products. Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) and Direct Energy Deposition (DED) are two kinds of metal additive manufacturing techniques. The metal additive manufacturing method can also be classified by material type, energy source, build scale, and so on. This paper discusses the relevance of metal additive manufacturing and provides detailed information on the processes of Selective Laser Melting, Selective Laser Sintering, Direct Metal Deposition, and Laser Metal Deposition.