Advanced Additive Manufacturing of Functional and Structural Alloys

Dear Colleagues,

Additive manufacturing (AM) is revolutionizing advanced manufacturing by enabling complex geometries, customizable materials and short-process manufacturing. During metal AM, extreme temperature gradients, rapid solidification, and complex cyclic thermal histories often induce unique microstructural evolutions. This not only poses severe challenges for controlling processing defects, but also provides unprecedented opportunities for developing novel alloys with exceptional mechanical properties and specific functionalities. In the context of functional and structural applications, these advantages are particularly significant, as AM enables the fabrication of components with tailored architectures, tunable properties, and high-strength performance for demanding service environments. Recently, transformative technologies have significantly expanded the performance boundaries of AM metals. For instance, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides digital tools for process optimization, defect prediction, and microstructural evolution control. The introduction of external field assistance (magnetic, electrical, acoustic) enables precise microstructural control, which is beneficial for enhancing functional responses, corrosion resistance, and long-term mechanical stability in functional and structural alloys. Furthermore, hybrid manufacturing technologies, such as combining AM with plastic deformation, offer new pathways to resolve the anisotropy of as-printed materials and enhance their mechanical properties.

This Special Issue aims to collect and showcase the latest frontier research achievements in the field of AM of alloys, focusing on innovations in advanced manufacturing processes, the precise tailoring of microstructures, and the development from high-performance materials to engineering prototypes. We invite original contributions encompassing, but not limited to, the following areas:

• Novel AM processes and process optimization.
• Microstructure evolution and phase transformation mechanisms.
• Mechanical properties and service behavior.
• Multi-scale computational modeling and simulation.
• AM of functional alloys and smart materials.
• AI-integrated AM.
• Hybrid manufacturing technologies.
• Novel application cases.

Prof. Dr. Chao Yang
Dr. Weisi Cai
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 1800 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.

• additive manufacturing
• microstructure evolution
• mechanical properties
• functional properties
• hybrid manufacturing
• intelligent manufacturing