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D. Shah and V. J. Badheka
considered to be the most substantial manufacturing approach to have emerged over
the past few decades. Its attributes like unparallel freedom in terms of design and
short lead times have enticed a lot of attention in the past 15 years [4]. Moreover, AM
results in products manufactured with increased accuracy, efficiency and moderates
the wastage which classifies it as a sustainable manufacturing method [5]. The main
advantage of AM is its ability to create almost any possible shape, and this capacity is
run by the layer-by-layer manufacturing. Intricate geometries and variety of products
can be handled with ease through this method.
Tremendous economic growth in the market is attributed to the advent of additive
manufacturing technologies. It was predicted that an asset of $3 bn would be achieved
by 2016 for additive manufacturing in the industrial market [6]. The momentum in
this field is still ongoing with the addition of several new techniques which are
comprehensively documented in a few review papers [7, 8].
1.1 History of Metal Additive Manufacturing (MAM)
In contrast to conventional, subtractive manufacturing methods, additive manufacturing (AM) is based on incremental layer-by-layer manufacturing [1]. MAM technologies are 25 years old [9], and they were used initially for rapid prototyping only.
But with increase in operable thickness and builds yielding higher quality, they are
being used widely. In the initial stages, these technologies were constricted to only
industrial applications, e.g. developing tool inserts [10], but today they are being
applied for varied applications, e.g. development of dental prostheses [11] in the
field of medical surgery. Developing thick and reliable metallic parts from a number
of materials like steel, aluminium, titanium, etc., is conceivable with certain MAM
processes [12]. Thus, additive manufacturing has a varied spectrum ranging from
rapid prototyping to rapid manufacturing applications [13].
The properties of the manufactured part are affected by the:
• Type of process
• Microstructure which is influenced by the process parameters.
1.2 Types of MAM
Different types of processes have been developed and optimized for producing a
variety of products for numerous applications. There are various classifications of
AM processes in the literature. The classifications include: (a) according to the base
material, such as polymers, ceramics and metals; (b) indirect and direct processes
depending on the bonding method; and (c) according to the state of the raw material
input, such as liquid, molten, powder and solid layer processes [14–16].
Figure 1 shows the different families of additive manufacturing. Among these
seven types of technologies as classified by the American Society for Testing and
D. Shah and V. J. Badheka
considered to be the most substantial manufacturing approach to have emerged over
the past few decades. Its attributes like unparallel freedom in terms of design and
short lead times have enticed a lot of attention in the past 15 years [4]. Moreover, AM
results in products manufactured with increased accuracy, efficiency and moderates
the wastage which classifies it as a sustainable manufacturing method [5]. The main
advantage of AM is its ability to create almost any possible shape, and this capacity is
run by the layer-by-layer manufacturing. Intricate geometries and variety of products
can be handled with ease through this method.
Tremendous economic growth in the market is attributed to the advent of additive
manufacturing technologies. It was predicted that an asset of $3 bn would be achieved
by 2016 for additive manufacturing in the industrial market [6]. The momentum in
this field is still ongoing with the addition of several new techniques which are
comprehensively documented in a few review papers [7, 8].
1.1 History of Metal Additive Manufacturing (MAM)
In contrast to conventional, subtractive manufacturing methods, additive manufacturing (AM) is based on incremental layer-by-layer manufacturing [1]. MAM technologies are 25 years old [9], and they were used initially for rapid prototyping only.
But with increase in operable thickness and builds yielding higher quality, they are
being used widely. In the initial stages, these technologies were constricted to only
industrial applications, e.g. developing tool inserts [10], but today they are being
applied for varied applications, e.g. development of dental prostheses [11] in the
field of medical surgery. Developing thick and reliable metallic parts from a number
of materials like steel, aluminium, titanium, etc., is conceivable with certain MAM
processes [12]. Thus, additive manufacturing has a varied spectrum ranging from
rapid prototyping to rapid manufacturing applications [13].
The properties of the manufactured part are affected by the:
• Type of process
• Microstructure which is influenced by the process parameters.
1.2 Types of MAM
Different types of processes have been developed and optimized for producing a
variety of products for numerous applications. There are various classifications of
AM processes in the literature. The classifications include: (a) according to the base
material, such as polymers, ceramics and metals; (b) indirect and direct processes
depending on the bonding method; and (c) according to the state of the raw material
input, such as liquid, molten, powder and solid layer processes [14–16].
Figure 1 shows the different families of additive manufacturing. Among these
seven types of technologies as classified by the American Society for Testing and