Applications

Aluminium Additive Manufacturing: How a new generation of alloys will fuel industry growth

Aluminium has emerged as a pivotal material in Additive Manufacturing, revolutionising industries such as aerospace, automotive, and beyond. Overcoming early processing challenges, advances in AM machines and alloy designs are unlocking aluminium’s potential. Today, its lightweight, high strength and thermal properties, combined with advances in powder production and sustainability efforts, are driving its rapid adoption. As Dr Martin McMahon explains, with growing applications and ongoing materials development, aluminium is poised to play a transformative role in shaping the future of AM technologies. ... Read more »

How metal Additive Manufacturing is transforming modern hydraulic systems

Hydraulic systems are important across many industries, providing high power density in compact, efficient packages. However, conventional subtractive manufacturing methods restrict design and performance. Additive Manufacturing offers a solution, enabling the production of complex geometries that enhance flow dynamics whilst minimising material use. In this article, Valeria Tirelli, CEO of Aidro Srl, considers how AM is reshaping hydraulic component design and production, offering new possibilities for enhanced performance, sustainability, and application-specific customisation. ... Read more »

Fly-by-wire: How Additive Manufacturing took to the skies with Norsk Titanium

With seven structural titanium parts flying on every Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a Master Supply Agreement with Airbus for the A350, and projects with the likes of Northrop Grumman and General Atomics, Norsk Titanium is setting the pace when it comes to the production of airframe components by Additive Manufacturing. By using wire instead of powder and its own proprietary version of the Directed Energy Deposition (DED) process, the company combines high deposition rates with aerospace-grade materials properties. Martin McMahon visited the company on behalf of Metal AM magazine. ... Read more »

Enabling the fusion energy revolution: Mastering tungsten with PBF-EB Additive Manufacturing

There is a growing interest in additively manufactured pure tungsten, primarily propelled by the expected demand for tungsten components in future fusion power plants. Here, Additive Manufacturing veterans and PBF-EB enthusiasts, Ulf Ackelid and Ulric Ljungblad – both of Sweden’s Freemelt AB – provide insights into the AM of tungsten and the benefits of using an electron beam as the energy source. This article is a standalone continuation of previous PBF-EB articles in Metal AM, published in the Summer 2020, Autumn 2022, and Summer 2023 issues ... Read more »

Additive Manufacturing for Semiconductor Capital Equipment: Unlocking critical supply chains

The global semiconductor supply chain is under immense strain as a result of geopolitical and economic factors, putting significant pressure on Semiconductor Capital Equipment (SCE) manufacturers. In this article, Emily Godsey interviews Texas A&M’s Prof Alaa Elwany and Jiahui Ye, and Veeco Instruments Inc’s Dr Ahmed El Desouky, to explore the benefits of metal Additive Manufacturing technologies for semiconductor manufacturing and the SCE supply chain. ... Read more »

Dynamic beam shaping: Unlocking productivity for cost-effective Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion

In the race to improve the productivity of PBF-LB Additive Manufacturing, machine OEMs have generally taken the path of adding more lasers. nLIGHT takes the view that it’s not necessarily just more lasers that are needed, but beam-shaping lasers. By using dynamic beam shaping technology, significant increases in the productivity, stability and metallurgical capabilities of PBF-LB have been demonstrated. Given the technology’s recent commercial success, with adoption by Aconity3D, AMCM, EOS and DMG Mori, we asked the nLIGHT team to review beam shaping technology and its potential impact on the AM industry. ... Read more »

Can Additive Manufacturing lower the carbon footprint of parts for the energy and maritime industries?

ApplicationsMarkets
September 19, 2024

Additive Manufacturing is seen by the energy and maritime industries as having the potential to optimise supply chains and reduce the cost of spare parts through the use of ‘digital’ warehouses. The technology is used for both ‘like-for-like’ spare parts that were originally designed for machining, casting or forging, as well as new parts that have been optimised for AM. Here, Stian Saltnes Gurrik and Selin Erkisi Arici (DNV), and Onno Ponfoort and Mathijs van Poll (Berenschot), report on the latest findings of a Joint Industry Project that aims to understand the viability of such an approach in relation to a part’s carbon footprint. ... Read more »

Performance of eddy currents for the in-situ detection of defects during PBF-LB metal AM

In this joint study by Carl Zeiss AG, AMiquam SA, and EOS GmbH, the performance of eddy currents as a tool for the in-situ detection of defects in Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) has been assessed. Process variations, including lack of fusion and keyhole formation could be detected in-situ, as well as individual defects as small as 0.3 mm post-build and post-polishing. Here, Jonatan Wicht, Harald Krauss, Frank Widulle, Julian Schulz, and Edson Costa Santos, Alain Berthoud, and Bernard Revaz present their latest findings. ... Read more »

Award-winning metal AM parts from the MPIF’s 2024 Design Excellence Awards

For many decades, North America’s Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) has organised its PM Design Excellence Awards competition in order to showcase the capabilities of the Powder Metallurgy industry. With the growing commercial success of metal powder-based Additive Manufacturing, the competition is seeing an ever larger number of entrants from this sector. Award-winning parts in this year’s competition include parts not only produced by Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion, but also a wide range of innovative sinter-based AM processes. ... Read more »

China’s thriving metal Additive Manufacturing industry: An outsider’s perspective

China’s Additive Manufacturing industry is growing at extraordinary speed, driven forward by intense domestic competition and AM technology’s role in the country’s national manufacturing strategy. Based on a recent visit to the TCT Asia 2024 exhibition, Joseph Kowen shares an outsider’s perspective on what is happening in the Chinese metal AM industry. Are Chinese AM machines now rivalling those from the West in terms of capability, and how is an increasingly complex geopolitical situation impacting the dynamics of the AM industry? ... Read more »

BMW Group: Laying the foundations for the application of metal Additive Manufacturing in the automotive industry

The very existence of BMW Group’s state-of-the-art Additive Manufacturing Campus, located close to Munich, speaks volumes about the potential of AM technology in the automotive industry. In April, Metal AM magazine’s Technical Consultant, Martin McMahon, and Managing Editor, Nick Williams, had the opportunity to visit the campus. As is revealed here, they discovered an operation that not only functions as an application development centre and centralised location for the BMW Group’s AM expertise, but also operates as a model AM factory built around the concepts of productivity and automation. ... Read more »

Metal powders in Additive Manufacturing: An exploration of sustainable production, usage and recycling

Sustainability has risen to the top of the global manufacturing agenda. Whilst metal AM has long been considered a green technology because of its net-shape capabilities, it is far from being a process absent of environmental impact. Here, Martin McMahon explores how global efforts are being made to improve this through the use of more sustainable metal powders, combined with a greater focus on powder reuse and recycling. Inextricably linked to this are, of course, economic gains and, in terms of supply chain, national security benefits. ... Read more »

In the latest issue of Metal AM magazine

Download PDF
 

Extensive AM industry news coverage, as well as the following exclusive deep-dive articles:

  • Back to the future: A decade of Additive Manufacturing innovation and growth at Materials Solutions
  • Win or lose: A CEO’s reflections on Artificial Intelligence and Additive Manufacturing
  • AMS 2025 New York: A reality check for the Additive Manufacturing industry
  • Optimising powder removal in PBF-LB Additive Manufacturing: A Digital Twin approach
  • ValCUN’s MMD: A robust, wire-based aluminium AM technology for defence and industrial applications
  • Enhancing quality and reliability in metal Additive Manufacturing: The role of laser calibration

Join 40,000+ other AM professionals – follow us online

Don’t miss a thing – register for our newsletter

Don't miss any new issue of Metal AM magazine, and get the latest industry news. Sign up to our twice weekly newsletter.

Register now

Looking for AM machines, metal powders or part manufacturing services?

Discover suppliers of these and more in our comprehensive advertisers’ index and buyer’s guide, available in the back of Metal AM magazine.

  • AM machines
  • Process monitoring & calibration
  • Heat treatment & sintering
  • HIP systems & services
  • Pre- & post-processing technology
  • Powders, powder production and analysis
  • Part manufacturers
  • Consulting, training & market data
Find suppliers

About Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine

Metal AM magazine, published quarterly in digital and print formats, is read by a rapidly expanding international audience.

Our audience includes component manufacturers, end-users, materials and equipment suppliers, analysts, researchers and more.

In addition to providing extensive industry news coverage, Metal AM magazine is known for exclusive, in-depth articles and technical reports.

Our focus is the entire metal AM process from design to application.

Each issue is available as an easy-to-navigate digital edition and a high-quality print publication.

Discover our magazine archive…

The free to access Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine archive offers unparalleled insight into the world of metal Additive Manufacturing from a commercial and technological perspective through:

  • Reports on visits to leading metal AM part manufacturers and industry suppliers
  • Articles on technology and application trends
  • Information on materials developments
  • Reviews of key technical presentations from the international conference circuit
  • International industry news

All past issues are available to download as free PDFs or view in your browser.

Browse the archive