ABSTRACT
Additive manufacturing (AM) has acquired the status of a mainstream manufacturing process. The technique facilitates the building of parts through the addition of materials one layer at a time using a computerized three-dimensional (3D) solid model. Additive manufacturing does not require cutting tools, coolants, or other auxiliary resources used in conventional manufacturing. The technique allows for optimization of design coupled with the ability to produce customized parts on demand. The numerous advantages over conventional manufacturing have captured the imagination of the public, resulting in additive manufacturing being referred to as the “third industrial revolution.” The governing fundamentals and working principles of additive manufacturing offer a spectrum of advantages, including near-net shape capabilities, superior design, geometric exibility, innovations in fabrication using multiple materials, reduced tooling and xturing, shorter cycle times for both design and manufacturing, and overall savings in both energy and costs while concurrently enabling production on a global scale. This chapter provides an overview of the technologically viable techniques for metallic materials and explores the key ingredients essential for both applying and advancing this technology so as to make it feasible at all levels. The most commonly used engineered metallic materials and their short-term mechanical properties are examined, and the emerging and far-reaching applications of this revolutionary technique to education, health, and well-being are briey summarized.
