A Review of Non-Powder-Bed Metal Additive Manufacturing: Techniques and Challenges.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Metal additive manufacturing (MAM) is a rapidly growing industry, valued at $6.36 billion in 2022.
• Powder-bed fusion and binder jetting are dominant but face limitations like cost and build time.
• Non-powder-bed techniques offer alternatives but have challenges such as residual stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive survey of non-powder-bed metal additive manufacturing techniques.
• To analyze each technique based on manufacturing method, materials, and product quality.
• To facilitate understanding and comparison of these emerging technologies.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and analysis of non-powder-bed metal additive manufacturing techniques.
• Categorization of techniques including direct energy deposition, material extrusion, and sheet lamination.
• Inclusion of innovative designs and current research status.

Main Results:

• Detailed comparison of non-powder-bed techniques regarding their manufacturing processes.
• Analysis of material compatibility and product quality for each method.
• Identification of advantages and disadvantages of each non-powder-bed approach.

Conclusions:

• Non-powder-bed MAM techniques present viable alternatives to powder-bed methods, each with unique strengths and weaknesses.
• Further research and development are needed to overcome limitations like residual stress and surface finish.
• This survey serves as a valuable resource for researchers and engineers in the field of metal additive manufacturing.