Ten years ago, in the first-ever issue of Metal AM magazine, Materials Solutions was featured as one of the industry’s rising stars. A decade on, with ongoing questions about the wider industry’s progress, we returned to see what the company’s journey reveals. Much has changed, including its acquisition by Siemens Energy (formerly Siemens AG), which fuelled significant growth. Yet the company remains firmly focused on its core expertise: processing nickel-base superalloys for high-temperature applications. Martin McMahon reports on its journey to large-scale series production, including a milestone agreement with Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace and a major investment in Nikon SLM Solutions’ NXG XII 600 machines.
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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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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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As high-performance computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications drive demand for more powerful processors, thermal management has become a critical challenge. This article explores the development of a generatively-designed and additively manufactured liquid nitrogen (LN2) heatsink, created by 3D Systems and Diabatix in collaboration with SkatterBencher and ElmorLabs, that achieves groundbreaking cooling performance. Thanks to Additive Manufacturing, the resulting pure copper heatsink promises to open up new markets for the technology in this rapidly growing market.
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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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Türkiye’s Vision 2025 roadmap places Additive Manufacturing at the core of its aerospace innovation strategy, with a view to driving innovation in aircraft production and beyond. This article explores Türkiye’s efforts to integrate AM technologies, driven by the country’s leading aerospace producer, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), and powered by the vital contributions of organisations such as EKTAM and ALUTEAM. With academia-industry collaboration, international partnerships, and advances in materials and processes, Ümit Aytar reports on how Türkiye is shaping a robust AM ecosystem.
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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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AM is at a pivotal stage, evolving from a prototyping tool to a scalable manufacturing solution. This transition necessitates real-time, process-specific inspection to ensure consistent part quality. Phase3D is meeting this need with real-time inspection solutions specifically for powder-bed processes. Its technology enables manufacturers to inspect each layer during production, enhancing product development, optimising parameters, and improving process control for end-use production. Here, Niall O’Dowd and Noah Mostow dive into the specific applications of the company’s Fringe Inspection technology.
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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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Patents have had a major impact on the evolution of the Additive Manufacturing industry. They offer intellectual property protection, yet they also force the disclosure of expertise. Registering a patent also comes at a high cost, yet for those who are found to infringe a patent, the costs are even higher. But what can the data generated by the global patenting process tell us about AM? Here, Joseph Kowen and Gil Perlberg use Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-EB) technology as a case study to discover what patent data can reveal.
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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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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.
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The metal Additive Manufacturing industry has significantly increased machine productivity in recent years. In the case of Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion
(PBF-LB), efforts have primarily focused on what happens inside the build chamber. Here, Sebastian Becker, Head of Product Management Metal, EOS GmbH, reports on how, with Grenzebach Maschinenbau GmbH and Volkmann GmbH, the company is looking outside of the build chamber. Thanks to automation, machine time utilisation can be taken from an estimated 60% to nearer 90% through rapid automated build box exchange and fully automated powder removal and recycling.
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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.
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The growing use of titanium Additive Manufacturing for the production of medical implants is a major success story for the industry. With this growth, however, come vast volumes of process data which need to be monitored to ensure compliance with tight regulatory requirements. Here, Peter Lindecke, amsight GmbH, explains how holistic analysis software can be used to monitor the impact of powder reuse strategies in Electron Beam Powder Fusion to ensure the best possible outcomes.
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The future of Additive Manufacturing lies in part production at scale. Innovation must, therefore, focus on how to reduce part cost and improve performance. Unlike other manufacturing processes, weight is time in AM – and time is money; raw material costs take a back seat when it comes to overall part cost. Here, Jonathan Meyer (APWORKS) and John Barnes (Metal Powder Works/The Barnes Global Advisors) explore the case for scandium-based aluminium alloys for AM from both technical and economic perspectives.
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UK-based Wayland Additive is convinced that, when it comes to metal Additive Manufacturing, Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-EB) has a bright future ahead. Whilst laser-based PBF is the most widely commercialised AM technology, it has inherent limitations that electron beam-based innovations such as Wayland’s NeuBeam process promise to overcome. Rachel Park reports on how the technology could open up the AM market by enabling users of the Calibur3 machine to rapidly develop and commercialise a wider range of industrial materials.
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