Current Status Of Additive Manufacturing Research Articles

Ergonomic Sports Mouthguards: A Narrative Literature Review and Future Perspectives

Sports activities can increase participants’ risk of orofacial trauma. Therefore, it is crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of various types of sports mouthguards. This study aims to present a narrative literature review on ergonomic mouthguards, including their indications for use, classifications, materials, manufacturing methods, and the current status of additive manufacturing in their production. Research of the existing literature was performed in the Google Scholar, MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect databases to identify the currently available publications on the topic of sports mouthguards from January 1951 to August 2023. The terms used were “sports mouthguard”, “mouthguards and orofacial traumas”, and “mouthguards and additive manufacturing”. A total of 920 articles were found, and 39 articles were selected and included in this review. While consensus exists regarding the significance of using sports mouthguards with optimal attributes, there is a need for standardization in the methodology for manufacturing custom-made mouthguards. These can be fashioned with conventional ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer reinforcements. Such standardization would ensure uniform stress distribution and guarantee ample protection for oral tissues, allowing for universal reproducibility among dental practitioners. Additive manufacturing stands as an innovative method for fabricating mouthguards, displaying promising benefits. However, the materials and methodologies employed in this workflow still require refinement and characterization for a safe clinical integration.

A review of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing of aluminium alloys: Microstructure and properties

Additive manufacturing (AM) of metallic alloys for structural and functional applications has attracted significant interest in the last two decades as it brings a step change in the philosophy of design and manufacturing. The ability to design and fabricate complex geometries not amenable to conventional manufacturing, and the potential to reduce component weight without compromising performance, is particularly attractive for aerospace and automotive applications. This has culminated in rapid progress in AM with Ti- and Ni-based alloys. In contrast, the development of AM with Al-alloys has been slow, despite their widespread adoption in industry owing to an excellent combination of low density and high strength-to-weight ratio. Research to date has focused on castable and weldable AlSiMg-based alloys (which are less desirable for demanding structural applications), as well as on the development of new AM-specific AlMgSc alloys (based on 5xxx series). However, high strength wrought Al-alloys have typically been unsuitable for AM due to their unfavourable microstructural characteristics under rapid directional solidification conditions. Nevertheless, recent research has shown that there is promise in overcoming the associated challenges. Herein, we present a review of the current status of AM with Al-alloys. We primarily focus on the microstructural characteristics, and on exploring how these influence mechanical properties. The current metallurgical understanding of microstructure and defect formation in Al-alloys during AM is discussed, along with recent promising research exploring various microstructural modification methodologies. Finally, the remaining challenges in the development of AM with high-strength Al-alloys are discussed.

An Overview of Additive Manufacturing of Polymers and Associated Composites.

Additive manufacturing is rapidly evolving and opening new possibilities for many industries. This article gives an overview of the current status of additive manufacturing with polymers and polymer composites. Various types of reinforcements in polymers and architectured cellular material printing including the auxetic metamaterials and the triply periodic minimal surface structures are discussed. Finally, applications, current challenges, and future directions are highlighted here.

The potential of additive manufacturing technologies and their processing parameters for the fabrication of all-ceramic crowns: A review.

This article aims to provide a review of the additive manufacturing technologies and the processing parameters that have been investigated for the fabrication of all ceramic crowns. Additive manufacturing has crept its way into the field of dentistry for the fabrication of resin and metal prosthesis. To evaluate the current status of additive manufacturing for the fabrication of all ceramic crowns, literature review was targeted to include publications pertaining to the fabrication of dental ceramics and all ceramic crowns. With respect to the additive manufacturing of dental ceramics, five technologies have been investigated to date: stereolithography, material extrusion, powder based fusion, direct inkjet printing, and binder jetting. The processing parameters and experimental outcomes were collated and described for each of the aforementioned technologies. Additive manufacturing has demonstrated promising experimental outcomes and corroborated to the fabrication all ceramic crowns. However, the technology is yet to witness a commercial breakthrough within this domain. Additive manufacturing mitigates raw material wastage and tooling stresses that are associated with milling of ceramics. Continued research and development can lead to its approbation as an alternate technology for manufacturing all ceramic restorations.

Current status of additive manufacturing for tissue engineering scaffold

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the current status of additive manufacturing (AM) used for tissue engineering (TE) scaffold. AM processes are identified as an effective method for fabricating geometrically complex objects directly from computer models or three-dimensional digital representations. The use of AM technologies in the field of TE has grown rapidly in the past 10 years. Design/methodology/approach – The processes, materials, precision, applications of different AM technologies and their modified versions used for TE scaffold are presented. Additionally, future directions of AM used for TE scaffold are also discussed. Findings – There are two principal routes for the fabrication of scaffolds by AM: direct and indirect routes. According to the working principle, the AM technologies used for TE scaffold can be generally classified into: laser-based; nozzle-based; and hybrid. Although a number of materials and fabrication techniques have been developed, each AM technique is a process based on the unique property of the raw materials applied. The fabrication of TE scaffolds faces a variety of challenges, such as expanding the range of materials, improving precision and adapting to complex scaffold structures. Originality/value – This review presents the latest research regarding AM used for TE scaffold. The information available in this paper helps researchers, scholars and graduate students to get a quick overview on the recent research of AM used for TE scaffold and identify new research directions for AM in TE.