Wire Arc Directed Energy Deposition (DED-ARC/W), also known as Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), is gaining traction as a high-deposition-rate solution for large-scale metal parts. At WAAMathon #2 in Berlin, leading experts from industry and research explored the technology’s rapid progress – from machine design and process automation to real-world applications. As Dr Joerg Lantzsch reports, the event highlighted DED-ARC/W’s growing relevance across a wide range of sectors, with use cases spanning from turbine blades to underwater habitats.
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Artificial Intelligence is reshaping industries, and Additive Manufacturing is no exception. For CEOs, the challenge isn’t just understanding AI’s potential but strategically integrating it to drive efficiency, innovation, and competitive advantage. In this article, Henning Fehrmann, chairman and CEO of FEHRMANN Tech Group, considers AI’s real-world impact on AM. Drawing from personal experience, he offers insights on how AM industry leaders can leverage AI to strengthen their businesses, adapt to market shifts, and stay competitive
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AMS 2025, organised by 3Dprint.com and Additive Manufacturing Research, delivered a stark wake-up call for the Additive Manufacturing industry. Once hailed as a disruptive force, AM is struggling to meet high expectations, with large-scale industrial adoption progressing more slowly than anticipated. The event revealed a disconnect between bold financial projections and market realities, leading to a crisis of confidence among investors and stakeholders. Tali Rosman reports on an industry at a crossroads, facing hard truths and recalibrating for the future.
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As Additive Manufacturing pushes the boundaries of design, post-processing remains a major challenge – in particular powder removal in Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB). But what if the digital twin of a part could not only optimise its design, but also predict and streamline powder removal? Here, Joseph Kowen explores how Solukon’s SPR-Pathfinder software achieves this, using advanced simulation to map powder flow and automate depowdering, ensuring that even the most intricate designs remain manufacturable.
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ValCUN’s Molten Metal Deposition (MMD) technology is a wire-based Additive Manufacturing solution designed to improve deployability and cost efficiency in aluminium part production. While applicable across various industrial sectors, it is also being explored for defence applications due to its potential for in-field manufacturing. With its inherent robustness, and the elimination of powder handling, MMD offers a deployable, user-friendly solution for producing critical parts in remote or demanding environments, as well as for seamless integration into industrial production settings.
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In metal Additive Manufacturing, precision and reliability are critical, particularly in highly regulated industries. Ensuring consistent quality requires meticulous laser calibration and process control. 3D Systems addresses this need by integrating advanced laser beam analysis and power measurement solutions from MKS’s Ophir brand. As the company reports, by leveraging Ophir’s high-precision sensors, 3D Systems enhances laser performance monitoring and process stability, helping its customers meet stringent industry standards and produce the highest-quality metal AM components.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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