Additive Manufacturing Processes

A month ago, I shared a simulation video of the 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐃𝐄𝐃) process of a titanium wire. Since then, we've added 𝐆𝐏𝐔 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 to our simulation software, significantly reducing simulation time and enabling more complex and detailed studies. The following video demonstrates the deposition process of a titanium wire (1 mm radius) on a (4 x 4) cm² substrate across 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬. The wire is melted using 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬, each's power is individually controlled to maximize the deposition rate. The breakage of the liquid bridge connecting the wire and substrate can be observed during the deposition of the last track in the fourth layer. We employ a 𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 algorithm to model the laser-material interaction, where the total laser power is distributed among numerous rays. The laser energy absorbed by the material surface is computed based on ray intersections with the material surface, considering surface temperature, angle of incidence, and polarization. In the video, the upper section displays the temperature field, while the lower section shows the number of ray intersections with the material surface throughout the simulation. Simulated on a Ryzen 7950x3D and an RTX4070. The video is rendered using Blender. Get in touch with us at blank-simulations if you see potential application scenarios. #SPH #multiphysics #raytracing #additivemanufacturing 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝: - Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) - MPI-OpenMP parallelization - GPU-acceleration - Dynamic workload balancing - Adaptive particle refinement 𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬: - Ray tracing to model laser-material interaction - Temperature-dependent material properties - Latent heat of fusion and crystallization - Evaporation and recoil pressure - Surface tension and wetting

I was thinking out loud a few days back: “Are we just laser-welding junk together?” Everyone’s hyped about additive manufacturing. Metal powders + lasers = future of everything, right? But I think there’s the truth we don’t talk about enough Most metal 3D printing out there is just glorified porosity printing. Because unless you're actively controlling grain structure, thermal gradients, and melt pool dynamics… You're not building components. You're building defects. Let’s break it down: – Complex scanning strategies → inconsistent fusion boundaries – Lack of process tuning → trapped porosity + microcracks – You’ve got steep thermal gradients → columnar grains – Anisotropy that kills performance under stress/fatigue And yet we keep printing test coupons, doing tensile tests in one direction, and calling it “ready for production.” Want to make AM real? Start treating it like metallurgy, not magic. • Map the melt pool • Understand grain growth vs. cooling rate • Use EBSD and XCT, not just surface inspection • Optimize scan strategies based on phase transformation, not print speed Additive can change the game but only if we stop pretending it's plug-and-play. Otherwise, we’re just laser-welding junk together and hoping it holds. #MaterialsScience #AdditiveManufacturing #DMLS #MetallurgyMatters #PowderMetallurgy

🎥 𝗜𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴. 🚀 What you’re seeing isn’t a concept from a futuristic film. It’s a real-world challenge in Directed Energy Deposition (DED). When pushing for high deposition rates in thin-walled structures, buckling becomes a serious issue. And the real problem? It often occurs after the print is finished. Even the smartest process control system can’t prevent what it can’t predict. 💡 The key insight: real-time control isn’t always enough. You need to design for what happens after the process, not just during it. In this study, Procada AB printed a thin-walled demonstrator to compare two strategies for increasing stiffness: 📐 A biaxially corrugated geometry on one side, lightweight and efficient. 🧱 A simple wall thickening on the other, traditional, but heavier. The result revealed more than just mechanical differences. It showed a clear shift in mindset. Build-to-print is not enough in additive manufacturing. What we really need is build-to-spec thinking. Because designs made for sheet metal don’t automatically translate to additive. And in many cases, they shouldn’t. They deserve a redesign that fully leverages what AM can offer. ✈️ If you’re working in aerospace, defense or high-performance engineering, here’s the real question: Are you truly designing for additive manufacturing, or just printing legacy ideas with new tools? #AdditiveManufacturing #DED #DesignForAM #Aerospace #Buckling #StructuralStiffness #BuildToSpec #EngineeringExcellence #AdvancedManufacturing #FutureOfManufacturing

Metal additive manufacturing with powder and wire feedstocks Our recent review article in the Virtual and Physical Prototyping (https://lnkd.in/gg42KXGJ ) journal is focused on metal additive manufacturing with powder and wire feedstocks. Metal additive manufacturing (AM) eliminates traditional design and production limitations, enabling the creation of complex geometries layer-by-layer from bulk material. The form of the material feedstock has a significant influence on design, efficiency, and process performance. A dichotomy is quickly emerging between powdered metal and wire across all AM technologies for metallic products. This article presents a unique perspective on powder bed fusion and laser-directed energy deposition (DED), two of the most mature metal AM processes, and wire-based electric arc DED, a promising newcomer. Despite its many advantages, confidence in wire Arc-DED lags behind powder processes due to their widespread familiarity. To accelerate research and adoption of wire-based Arc-DED, it is essential to appreciate the maturity of its foundational welding processes, increase metallurgical understanding, and optimize processing. To that end, a literature overview of physical characteristics, equipment availability, and process maturity for wire and powder is undertaken. The advantages and critical issues of wire-based Arc-DED are explicitly compared to those of powder-based DED, with detailed trade-offs in process, equipment, design, and safety drawn from firsthand knowledge. Critical issues in material properties and defects related to the nature of the feedstock are also examined, and wire-based innovations are discussed. The full-text article can be accessed at - https://lnkd.in/g_4wVxWB   Full citation – Lile Squires, & Amit Bandyopadhyay (2025). Metal additive manufacturing with powder and wire feedstocks. Virtual and Physical Prototyping. https://lnkd.in/gfB5eN9b #additivemanufacturing #3dprinting #wsu #metallurgy #msecoug

🛠️🔥 What is Metal Sintering? The Magic of Turning Powder into Solid Metal Have you ever wondered how we can turn fine metal powder into strong, usable parts—without melting the entire material? That’s the power of metal sintering — a smart, efficient process used in industries from aerospace to automotive and even medical devices. 🔍 So, What Exactly is Metal Sintering? Metal sintering is a manufacturing technique where metal powders are fused together using heat and pressure. Instead of melting the metal fully, the process heats it just below its melting point. At this temperature, the metal particles bond together at their surfaces and gradually form a solid, dense structure. 🧱 Why Use Sintering? Because it helps create parts with: ✅ High strength and durability ✅ Precise dimensions (known as near-net shape) ✅ Minimal waste compared to machining ✅ Lower energy use than full melting or casting ✅ Ability to use complex or custom alloys 🧩 Where is it Used? 🔧 Gears, bushings, filters ✈️ Aerospace components 🚗 Automotive parts 🦾 Medical implants 🖨️ And even 3D-printed metal tools! Metal sintering is also a core technique in powder metallurgy and is now used in additive manufacturing (metal 3D printing) for advanced applications. 💡 Did You Know? Most sintered metal parts come out in a shape very close to the final product, which saves time, cost, and energy on finishing processes like grinding or polishing. 💬 Have you worked with metal sintering or seen its applications in action? Let’s talk! Drop a comment and share your experience or thoughts.👇 📌 Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost! 🔔 Follow me and hit the bell icon on my profile for more technical, engineering, and science-based content—made simple, clear, and useful! Feel free to repost. 📚 Source: PSM 📩 Disclaimer: No copyright intended. DM for credit/removal. #MetalSintering #PowderMetallurgy #EngineeringBasics #ManufacturingTech #AdditiveManufacturing #3DPrintingMetal #TechnicalEducation #MaterialScience #SmartManufacturing #NearNetShape #EngineeringMadeSimple #KnowledgeSharing

Metal Powder Application (MPA) is a process developed by Hermle (Maschinenfabrik Berthold HERMLE AG) that uses cold spray to apply metal powder to an existing workpiece or substrate, usually in a hybrid manufacturing process that also incorporates 5-axis machining. Benefits of MPA include... ➕ The ability to add functional materials such as copper for thermal control only where needed. 🏗 Overhangs and cavities can be supported during manufacturing with a powder-based support material, applied through the same spraying process, that can be washed out later. ✔ The powder application makes it possible to blend materials, creating grades between metals and even ceramic matrix composites by mixing powders. ❄ With no melting, MPA enables embedding sensors, wiring and other items into metal parts without damage to the inclusions. I saw MPA parts on display and spoke with Simon Rackl about this technology during IMTS - International Manufacturing Technology Show. The short video on Additive Manufacturing Media today sums up what I learned about the technology, with plenty of process B-roll and closeups of sample parts. Check it out at the link the comments. 👇