Additive manufacturing (3D printing) of metals and alloys: current trends and future outlook

Abstract

3D printing, also referred to as Additive Manufacturing (AM), has become a demanding technology in the world which can fabricate three dimensional objects in a layer-by-layer fashion using computer-aided design (CAD) models. AM possesses the unique ability to create complex geometries not conducive for conventional manufacturing techniques such as injection moulding, forging, and machining. Metal 3D printing, one of the increasingly developing areas of AM, started in 1994 with the invention of the first metal 3D printer; EOSINT M250 by Electro Optical Systems, Germany. It used basically a low-temperature alloy for the AM process.