Additive manufacturing of metals using powder bed-based technologies

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) techniques are solid free-form, three-dimensional fabrication processes of metals and their alloys. Recent developments of metal AM processes have resulted in the fabrication of functional parts with reliable, reproducible, and predictable properties. Metal AM processes have received a tremendous attention from both academic researchers and industry.Powder bed fusion (PBF) (e.g, selective laser melting (SLM), electron beam melting (EBM)) and direct energy deposition (DED) techniques are the most important categories of the AM technologies used for processing of metals and their alloys. We will therefore address some of the critical aspects of both PBF and DED techniques including the effects of processing parameters, material types, and geometrical design on the quality, functionality, and properties of the final products. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of the challenges, limitations, and future outlooks for metal powder-based AM.