Metal Additive Manufacturing

Book excerpt: METAL ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING A comprehensive review of additive manufacturing processes for metallic structures Additive Manufacturing (AM)—also commonly referred to as 3D printing—builds three-dimensional objects by adding materials layer by layer. Recent years have seen unprecedented investment in additive manufacturing research and development by governments and corporations worldwide. This technology has the potential to replace many conventional manufacturing processes, enable the development of new industry practices, and transform the entire manufacturing enterprise. Metal Additive Manufacturing provides an up-to-date review of all essential physics of metal additive manufacturing techniques with emphasis on both laser-based and non-laser-based additive manufacturing processes. This comprehensive volume covers fundamental processes and equipment, governing physics and modelling, design and topology optimization, and more. The text adresses introductory, intermediate, and advanced topics ranging from basic additive manufacturing process classification to practical and material design aspects of additive manufacturability. Written by a panel of expert authors in the field, this authoritative resource: Provides a thorough analysis of AM processes and their theoretical foundations Explains the classification, advantages, and applications of AM processes Describes the equipment required for different AM processes for metallic structures, including laser technologies, positioning devices, feeder and spreader mechanisms, and CAD software Discusses the opportunities, challenges, and current and emerging trends within the field Covers practical considerations, including design for AM, safety, quality assurance, automation, and real-time control of AM processes Includes illustrative cases studies and numerous figures and tables Featuring material drawn from the lead author’s research and professional experience on laser additive manufacturing, Metal Additive Manufacturing is an important source for manufacturing professionals, research and development engineers in the additive industry, and students and researchers involved in mechanical, mechatronics, automatic control, and materials engineering and science.