A Comprehensive Review of Additive Manufacturing Technologies: Processes, Materials, Applications, Design Optimization and Future Trends

Author

Kalamati Ranjith Kumar, Naga Lakshmi Pavani Puvvada

Abstract

 Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, direct digital manufacturing or freeform fabrication, builds an object from three-dimensional model data by joining material, usually layer upon layer, in contrast to subtractive manufacturing in which material is removed from a solid block. The reviewed literature shows that AM has grown from a rapid-prototyping technique for visual models into a family of processes that can produce functional metal, polymer, ceramic-composite and biomedical parts, while its wider industrial use is still limited by accuracy, surface quality, material availability, process repeatability, qualification cost and build speed.This report reviews seven research papers published between 2012 and 2026. They cover a general review of AM processes and applications, a review of metal additive manufacturing, the role of AM in Industry 4.0, design for additive manufacturing through conformal cooling channels, AM and 3D bioprinting for biomedical use, recycling of waste metallic powder through cold spray additive manufacturing, and the deformation of carbon-fibre-reinforced PEEK parts that are converted into ceramic matrix composites. The literature shows a progression from process classification and metallurgy toward design optimisation, sustainable feedstock, biomedical applications and prediction of the complete process chain.Overall, the seven reviewed papers indicate that the quality of an additively manufactured part depends on materials, process, design and post-processing together. Powder-bed, powder-feed and wire-feed systems give different compromises between resolution, build volume and deposition rate; microstructure and defects control the mechanical and fatigue behaviour of metal parts; and design tools such as topology optimisation and conformal cooling allow geometries that conventional machining cannot produce.Across the studies, specific results are reported. Additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V can reach static strength comparable to wrought material, and hot isostatic pressing raised the fatigue strength of ARCAM-produced material in the X-Y orientation by 27% over the as-fabricated condition. A serpentine conformal cooling channel brought the monitored temperature on a thermoforming mould base to 21.1 °C, against 30.3 °C for the original design. Recycled metallic powders produced cold spray deposits with porosity below 2%, deposition efficiency above 70% and an estimated cost reduction of about 30%. For carbon-fibre-reinforced PEEK, the total shrinkage from the printed polymer part to the final C/C-SiC component was 26.13% in the z-direction and 5.32% in the x-y direction, and a pre-oversized CAD model gave a final part of 75.28 mm × 7.79 mm against a 75 mm × 8 mm target.

Keywords

Additive Manufacturing (AM), 3D printing, powder bed fusion, directed energy deposition, metal AM, Industry 4.0, design for additive manufacturing, conformal cooling, bioprinting, cold spray, ceramic matrix composites.

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References

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