Additive Manufacturing – Process Optimisation

Dear Colleagues,

Additive manufacturing (AM) as defined by the American Society for Testing and Materials is “the process of joining materials to make parts or objects from 3D model data, usually layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing methodologies”. In recent years, metal part production using the laser–powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process, for example, has advanced exponentially. The global AM market is estimated to reach USD 26.68 billion by 2027, and L-PBF is the leading technology in the metal AM market. The literature lists tens of processing parameters, including the use of different metal printers, which can significantly affect the process and the properties and quality of AM parts. For this reason, a pre-print investigation is important. Moreover, process optimisation with reference the output measures is required for some specific applications. Such applications include those that are biomedical, in which the phase composition of the part is important in order to avoid patient health implications and/or early implant failure. The input thermal energy used during the build of biomedical parts made of nitinol, for example, greatly highly affects the resulting phase formation.

The objective of this Special Issue is to provide a forum for researchers and practitioners to exchange their latest achievements and to identify critical issues and challenges in AM process optimisation. “Optimisation” can be based on the part’s density, mechanical properties, dimensional accuracy, chemical composition, or process sustainability.

Dr. Muhannad Ahmed Obeidi
Guest Editor

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