Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM)

Mechanical Systems 1
MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
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Mechanical Systems 2
Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM)
Abstract
Metal additive manufacturing has been a process that has been used to develop 3D
objects by adding materials through layers. This mode of manufacturing has made several
inroads into the ever expanding manufacturing sector. There however seems to be no
performance consistency of metal parts manufactured additively as a result of inconsistencies in
their microstructures, a thing that has hindered its wider usage. This has been common for
materials that need repeatable and reliable mechanical properties [1]. Developing an ability to
build reliable parts and doing so consistently will guarantee quality production of metal additive
manufacturing that has got components that are mission-critical for the use in several industries
such as defense, aerospace and healthcare that have got a lot of demands. Additive
manufacturing is largely used in areas where conventional manufacturing attains its limitations.
This mode of manufacturing becomes of interest in situations where there is a new approach to
develop such that manufacturing is needed in order to come up with solutions.
Introduction
Additive manufacturing is a process whereby data from digital 3D design is used to
develop a component in layers by means of depositing material. It can also be referred to 3D
printing which presents a more accurate description of additive manufacturing due to its
professional technique of production that is well defined from other conventional modes of
material removal. Rather than milling a work piece out of a solid block, additive manufacturing
develops components layer by layer by the use of materials that exist in the form of fine powder
[2]. The materials that can be used range from plastics, different metals as well as composite

Mechanical Systems 3
materials. 3D printing provides the possibility to produce detailed parts without the design
constraints of traditional manufacturing routes. This technology has been mostly used during the
construction of functional and illustrative prototypes. This mode of manufacturing has been
similarly been adopted and increasingly used in series production. It offers Original Equipment
Manufacturers (OEMs) the chance to build a distinctive profile for themselves in the most varied
sectors of industry on the basis of potential to save on costs, benefits of new customers as well as
the ability to achieve sustainable goals [3].
Figure 1: A schematic summary of the metal additive manufacturing
The system begins by applying a thin layer of the powder material to the platform of
building. It follows by a fusion of a powerful laser beam at the exact places demarcated by the
design data from the computer generated component. Another layer of the powder is then applied
after the platform has been lowered. The material is fused once again in order to bind with the

Mechanical Systems 4
powder layer that has been applied. Components can either be manufactured using laser printing,
stereo lithography or 3Dprinting depending on the material that has been used [4]. A common
additive manufacturing Technology that has been in existence for over two decades is the laser
sintering.
Figure 2: Functional principle of an additive manufacturing
Statement of Research Problem
Over the past few years, several industries have adopted the use of metal additive manufacturing
(AM). This implies that there has been an increase in the usage of the metal additive
manufacturing technology. An increased and constant use of this manufacturing technology
comes about with several positive implications to the respective industries that have adopted its
use. Similarly the increased use also means that a number of issues will also come up that tend to
confront this manufacturing technology [5]. This paper therefore tends to make a critical and
comprehensive understanding of all the existing issues that tend to confront the metal additive
manufacturing community for titanium alloys which makes use of metal additive manufacturing
technology. This paper will therefore focus on the metal additive manufacturing process of the
titanium alloy as well as the experimental results of the relationship between microstructure,
process and property.