Surface Treatments and Surface Modification Techniques for 3D Built Materials

Abstract

The Additive Manufacturing components are being involved to post processing techniques in order to enhance the mechanical properties, surface quality and geometrical accuracy. The post processing technologies like heat treatment, surface treatment and surface modification techniques are mainly involved to separate the components from the support structure and build plate. The surface treatment processes include machining, blasting and polishing play an important role on AM built parts to improve the mechanical and metallurgical properties. The surface modification techniques such as texturing, oxidation, coating and deposition are also employed as post processing methods in order to augment properties of 3D printed products. The products are exhibited as semi-finished surfaces when printed in most of the AM processes. The electrochemical polishing, sol–gel, Anodization, laser or plasma polishing and chemical treatments for metal components are used as surface treatments to obtain better quality of the 3D printed products. This chapter is investigated the surface modification and surface treatment techniques which are used to enhance the properties of metal based AM components. The various processing methods under mechanical, physical, thermal, chemical, electrochemical and laser techniques are detailed under the surface modification techniques. In addition to the processing methods, surface modification effects on mechanical, thermal and electrochemical properties of 3D built components are discussed in detail. Results of this investigation suggested that the surface modification techniques can be used to improve the properties of 3D printed components compared to surface treatments.