A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 2 4 As one of the fastest growing manufacturing technologies, demand for metal components produced by additive manufacturing (AM) is expanding in nearly every market sector. Industry reports project additive manufacturing withmetal powders to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21% from 2022 to 2028—that’s four times faster than growth in conventional metal casting during the same forecast period. Most notable is a sharp increase in AM requirements from highly regulated spaces such as the aerospace, biomedical, and automotive industries. While high barriers to qualification and certification in these industries may have delayed entry of AM components, it has long been clear that the flexibility and efficacy inherent to AM would draw their attention. PRODUCTION ADVANTAGES The marked demand for AM products is largely credited to its production advantages. Chief among them is a high buy-to-fly ratio—that is, the ability to produce parts with minimum material loss during production and finishing. Another is that AM components can be manufactured with a high degree of internal complexity and individualization that would be difficult or inefficient to produce by any subtractive method. While production advantages have accelerated the maturity of AM technology to date, an entirely different set of advantages is driving new attention and growth to the industry. Supply chain challenges have affected nearly every corner of the market, but they have been particularly pronounced in the sourcing of aerospace, automotive, and medical device components. As the burdens of a long, extended supply chain create headaches for all equipment manufacturers alike, the ability to shorten and simplify that chain through inclusion of AM components becomes increasingly urgent. In this respect, advocates of AM technology have leveraged their compelling capability to reduce manufacturing steps and reshore most if not all operations closer to finishing and assembly. VARIABILITY CHALLENGES However, to be successful, particularly in these highly regulated in- dustries, AM components must not only meet the rigorous qualification and certification requirements of conventional manufacturing. They must also confront new challenges associated with their characteristic layer-by-layer build. Since builds are essentially made up of many incremental small casts from individual melt pools, the challenges faced by a traditional casting are multiplied by each melt pool created in a part’s production. The greatest resulting challenge is the increased variability observed in mechanical properties and part-to-part performance. Mechanical property variability can be directly linked to variability in process, which can occur part-to- part, operator-to-operator, machine- ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PRESENTS NEW CHALLENGES FOR METAL COMPONENTS A look at how companies in regulated industries can test materials to produce higher quality metal components with additive manufacturing. TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT Mechanical testing of an AM coupon using a video extensometer.
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