Metal Additive Manufacturing, Vol. 9 No. 4 Winter 2023

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In addition to the latest industry news, this 164-page issue of Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine includes the following exclusive features:

The GRCop story: The development, production and Additive Manufacturing of NASA’s rocket engine alloys

The new space race is powered by metal Additive Manufacturing. In turn, the Additive Manufacturing of rocket engines is powered by advanced alloys. Of these, NASA’s GRCop family has found use in numerous critical applications.

In this article, Austin Whitt and David Ellis, NASA Glenn Research Center, and Paul Gradl, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, dig deep into the history, production, processing and maturation of these unique materials. As the authors reveal, there is good reason why Additive Manufacturing of GRCop begins by understanding the process-microstructure-property-performance relationship.

Formnext 2023: Innovations in metal Additive Manufacturing from the industry’s leading international exhibition

When it comes to presenting a review of the world’s largest international exhibition for AM, one can go about it in two ways: very broad generalisations about the state of the industry or a more focused review of a handful of noteworthy developments.

Given the 859 exhibitors at Formnext 2023, spread over some 54,000 m², this review by Dr Martin McMahon takes the latter approach, offering broader context where possible. Whilst many more press announcements are covered in the industry news section of this issue, the following report provides an overview of how – and where – AM is evolving and maturing into a credible and dynamic technology.

Cybersecurity in Additive Manufacturing: Securing the industry’s future

In the digital world of Additive Manufacturing, just how cybersecure are your operations and your customers’ critical parts? A survey of AM producers has suggested that the answer is probably not secure enough.

In this article, Auburn University’s Prof Mark Yampolskiy, and industry analyst Joseph Kowen, present a high-altitude overview of the security threats facing those in the AM community. Cybersecurity, they suggest, should be considered as no less important than metallurgy or ‘Design for AM’ and, with the development of AM-specific standards and third-party security solutions, it need not be an overwhelming task.

Additive Manufacturing in the jewellery industry: exploring the potential of platinum and titanium

Metal AM offers the jewellery industry significant creative and commercial opportunities. One such opportunity is the production of platinum and titanium jewellery by Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB), a process described as a “match made in heaven” for these metals. This technology offers jewellery designers advantages that include greater creative freedom, the precise control of weight, and a path to scale-up production.

Here, Michela Ferraro explores the status of AM for jewellery manufacturers and highlights innovative and critically acclaimed pieces produced by the technology.

Mission possible: The five-year plan to gain FAA and EASA acceptance of in-process monitoring

At the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) summit in Cologne, Germany, this September, Don Godfrey, Nikon SLM Solutions, and Fernando Lartategui, ITP Aero, co-chaired a Working Group whose mission is of critical importance to the metal Additive Manufacturing industry. What is that mission? To chart a five-year path which ends with in-situ monitoring approved by the FAA/EASA as a method for part acceptance.

Here, the chairs present an overview of the current landscape and consider the challenges on the path to this crucial goal.

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