Recent Advances in Powder-Based Additive Manufacturing of Metals

A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Additive Manufacturing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 790

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Engineering for Industrial Systems and Technologies (DEIST), University of Parma, Parma, Italy
Interests: metals and alloys; microstructural characterization; heat treatments; mechanical properties; additive manufacturing

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering for Industrial Systems and Technologies (DEIST), University of Parma, Via G. Usberti 181/A, Parma, Italy
Interests: additive manufacturing; friction stir process; microstructure; mechanical properties

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) has rapidly evolved in the industrial field, enabling the fabrication of complex, high-performance components with design freedom and material flexibility. As the field advances, the focus is shifting toward optimization, particularly in tailoring microstructure, improving mechanical properties, and developing post-processing strategies such as heat treatment to ensure enhanced performance. Understanding the intricate relationships between processing parameters, microstructural evolution, heat treatment effects, and final part properties remains a key challenge.

Laser-based and electron-based powder bed techniques are central to this progress. Their ability to precisely control energy input and achieve rapid solidification enables the design of unique microstructures and strength. Heat treatment, in particular, plays a crucial role in relieving residual stresses, refining microstructures, and enhancing mechanical behavior, thereby unlocking the full potential of additively manufactured metal alloys in various applications such as aerospace, automotive, energy, and biomedical engineering.

This Special Issue aims to showcase recent advances in powder-based metal additive manufacturing and laser processing, with a strong emphasis on microstructure–property relationships and/or heat treatment optimization. Contributions are invited that explore fundamental mechanisms, novel processing strategies, and application-driven studies.

We warmly invite submission of full research papers, short communications, and reviews.

Dr. Emanuele Ghio
Prof. Dr. Emanuela Cerri
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • powder-based additive manufacturing
  • microstructural characterization
  • mechanical properties
  • heat treatment optimization
  • process–microstructure–property relationships
  • metals and alloys
  • laser-based 3D printing
  • electron-based 3D printing
  • sustainability in additive manufacturing

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 10396 KB  
Article
Laser Powder Bed-Fused Scalmalloy®: Effect of Long Thermal Aging on Hardness and Electrical Conductivity
by Emanuele Ghio, Lorenzo Curti, Daniele Carosi, Alessandro Morri and Emanuela Cerri
Metals 2025, 15(12), 1364; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15121364 - 11 Dec 2025
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Abstract
This study investigates the microstructural evolution, porosity characteristics, and mechanical behavior of LPBF-manufactured Scalmalloy®, which were investigated in the as-built conditions and after long-term exposure to direct aging of 275, 325, and 400 °C. Optical microscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) [...] Read more.
This study investigates the microstructural evolution, porosity characteristics, and mechanical behavior of LPBF-manufactured Scalmalloy®, which were investigated in the as-built conditions and after long-term exposure to direct aging of 275, 325, and 400 °C. Optical microscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analyses were employed to examine the grain morphology, pore distribution, and defect characteristics. In the as-built state, the microstructure displayed the typical fish-scale melt pool morphology with columnar grains in the melt pool centers and fine equiaxed grains along their boundaries, combined with a small number of gas pores and lack-of-fusion defects. After direct aging, coarsening of grains was revealed, accompanied by partial spheroidization of pores, though the global density remained above 99.7%, ensuring structural integrity. Grain orientation analyses revealed a reduction in crystallographic texture and local misorientation after direct aging, suggesting stress relaxation and a more homogeneous microstructure. The hardness distribution reflected this transition: in the as-built state, higher hardness values were found at melt pool edges, while coarser central grains exhibited lower hardness. After direct aging, the hardness differences between these regions decreased, and the average hardness increased from (104 ± 7) HV0.025 to (170 ± 10) HV0.025 due to precipitation of Al3(Sc,Zr) phases. Long-term aging studies confirmed the stability of mechanical performance at 325 °C, whereas aging at 400 °C induced overaging and hardness loss due to precipitate coarsening. Electrical conductivities increased monotonically at all tested temperatures from ~11.7 MS/m, highlighting the interplay between solute depletion and precipitate evolution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Powder-Based Additive Manufacturing of Metals)
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Review

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68 pages, 8811 KB  
Review
Metallic Mechanical Metamaterials Produced by LPBF for Energy Absorption Systems
by Gabriele Grima, Kamal Sleem, Gianni Virgili, Alberto Santoni, Maria Laura Gatto, Stefano Spigarelli, Marcello Cabibbo and Eleonora Santecchia
Metals 2025, 15(12), 1315; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15121315 - 28 Nov 2025
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Abstract
Metallic mechanical metamaterials have attracted the attention of many industrial sectors due to their unique properties which enable them to outperform natural materials in unconventional ways. Metal metamaterials encompass multiple fields, including materials science, mechanics, and industrial technology, and they have become particularly [...] Read more.
Metallic mechanical metamaterials have attracted the attention of many industrial sectors due to their unique properties which enable them to outperform natural materials in unconventional ways. Metal metamaterials encompass multiple fields, including materials science, mechanics, and industrial technology, and they have become particularly popular following the implementation of reliable, high-resolution, efficient metal additive manufacturing processes. This review takes a joint approach, providing an in-depth analysis of the base materials and geometries that characterize metamaterials in order to understand their behavior in response to impacts at different load regimes and to offer readers a critical overview of the most suitable design choices for energy absorption systems. Furthermore, this review highlights advanced metamaterial optimization methods that are useful for increasing the mechanical energy absorbed avoiding peak impulse transfer to the people, instrumentation, or generic loads that mechanical metamaterials are designed to protect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Powder-Based Additive Manufacturing of Metals)
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