Design, Processes and Materials for Additive Manufacturing

Dear Colleagues,

Additive manufacturing (AM) has several advantages over traditional manufacturing technologies and has grown very quickly in recent years. However, there are still technological issues preventing the industry from utilizing its full potential, which can be categorized under three pillars, namely design, processes, and materials.

Such challenges include design and redesign for AM aiming to improve manufacturability, productivity, and quality, and the encapsulation of post-processing for AM into the design phase. These can be expanded towards techniques for the utilization of AI towards AM design optimization, as well as design aspects/considerations for multi-material AM and 4D printing.

Regarding process-related AM challenges, there is still a need for methodologies to mitigate the quality issues with AM parts and the optimization of process parameters for the improvement in specific key performance indicators (KPIs) related to quality and productivity, either experimentally or through simulation. Another aspect is connected to strategies and applications for in situ monitoring, defect detection, and process control, especially for metal-based AM, as well as decision support systems for AM process selection. Additionally, there is an exigency of practical and innovative modeling/simulation approaches for AM (nano-, micro-, macro-, multi-scale), as well as digital twins for AM, utilizing a holistic solution approach. Process optimization for improved surface quality and reduced post-processing is another important challenge, which will reduce the costs of AM and further increase its appeal for many industrial applications. Finally, other important topics include innovative AM processes allowing for higher productivity and a minimized need for post-processing and the design and validation of innovative hybrid AM systems.

As far as the materials pillar is concerned, there is still a need to further investigate the impact of process parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties, both experimentally and through simulations, as well as for the development of efficient quality assessment applications of mechanical properties of metal AM components. Additionally, material-related aspects of 4D printing, such as the testing and validation of 4D printing materials and methodologies for 4D printing using conventional AM equipment and materials, should be further investigated. Additional challenges include the development of techniques and methodologies for the utilization of multi-material AM for high-added-value products, as well as new materials for AM, including their testing and validation (metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, cement-based, biomaterials).

The focus and goal of this Special Issue is to address the design-, process-, and material-related challenges of AM, which include, but are not limited to, the aforementioned ones, and to propose improvements in aspects related to those three pillars to avail the wider industrial adoption of AM.

Dr. Panagiotis Stavropoulos
Guest Editor

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