Advances in Metal Additive Manufacturing: Processes, Applications, and Challenges

Dear Colleagues,

Metal Additive Manufacture (MAM) employs 3D printing technologies (material addition in incremental layers) to manufacture parts in metallic materials. With virtually no geometric limitations, this technology offers many opportunities such as novel design options that improve part performance, efficiency and/or functionality, reduced production times, material usage, cost, energy consumption and carbon footprint, and improved sustainability. Subsequently, MAM is evident in a range of industrial applications, such as aerospace, defence, automotive, medical, and consumer and industrial products.

This manufacturing technology has the potential to revolutionise global part manufacture and logistics landscape. Although applications of MAM are becoming more widespread, it has scientific and technological challenges and limitations, where both governments and corporations invest into ongoing MAM research and development to overcome these challenges and improve its adoption.

MAM research and development has been dispersed across many publications and sources, and this Special Issue (Advances in Metal Additive Manufacturing: Processes, Applications and Challenges) provides an opportunity to share the most recent scientific knowledge of MAM technologies, processes, applications and challenges in one comprehensive source. It is anticipated that your contribution to the advances in MAM will serve as a valuable and appreciated resource for both academics and manufacturing communities to facilitate its future advancement and adoption.

For this Special Issue, you are encouraged to submit studies that address challenges associated with MAM, which include but not limited to:

1. Processes and Technologies
2. Applications
3. Design for MAM
4. Standardisation
5. Cost Modelling and Analysis
6. Materials for MAM
7. Printing Parameter Optimisation
8. Microstructural Analysis and Mechanical Performance
9. Defect Analysis and Formation Mechanisms
10. Topology/Shape Optimisation

Dr. Ferdinando Guzzomi
Dr. Ana Vafadar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• industrial applications
• metal additive manufacture and 3D printing
• design for metal additive manufacture
• design optimisation
• metal alloys for metal additive manufacturing

Title: A review on traditional processes and LPBF of aluminum alloys microstructures, mechanical properties, costs and applications
Authors: Xin Wang; Dongyun Zhang; Ang Li; Denghao Yi; Tianci Li
Affiliation: a Institute of Laser Engineering, School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China; b Beijing Engineering Research Center of 3D Printing for Digital Medical Health, Beijing 100124, China
Abstract: Due to its light weight, high strength, good machinability and low cost, aluminum alloy has been widely used in fields such as aerospace, automotive, electronics, and construction. Traditional manufacturing processes for aluminum alloys often suffer from low material utilization, complex procedures, and long manufacturing cycles. Therefore, more and more scholars are turning their attention to the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process for aluminum alloys. However, the widespread promotion and application of LPBF aluminum alloys still face challenges. The mechanical properties and the manufacturing cost of the parts are the two main factors affecting the applicability of the LPBF process for aluminum alloys. This paper reviews the research status of traditional aluminum alloy processing and LPBF aluminum alloy, and makes a comparison from various aspects such as microstructures, mechanical properties, application scenarios, and manufacturing costs. It is concluded that it is necessary to promote the further development and application of aluminum alloy 3D printing technology from three aspects: the development of aluminum matrix composite materials reinforced with nanoceramic particles, the development of micro-alloyed aluminum alloy powders specially designed for LPBF, and the development of new technologies and equipment to reduce the manufacturing cost of LPBF aluminum alloy.