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Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Additive manufacturing is unlocking design and geometrical constraints typical of traditional manufacturing, leveraging the production of complex and lightweight structures. This evolution involves a shift in the way in which a component is designed to the idea of using the smallest amount of material, and to optimize it to be built in a layer-upon-layer way. When it comes to metal, the particular processing conditions taking place inside additive manufacturing machines give rise to peculiar microstructures and unique mechanical properties.

Light alloys are of particular interest for additive manufacturing and represent some of the largest amounts of metallic materials processed by additive layer manufacturing (Ti-6Al-4V being the most widely 3D printed alloy in the world to date), with the exception of magnesium, which is slowly but remarkably taking its first steps in this field of research.

The upcoming Special Issue entitled “New Advances in Light Metal Alloys for Additive Manufacturing” aims to cover all the possible topics involved, from novel materials, powder metallurgy and rheology, to component design, modeling and simulation, to processing and post-processing parameters and operations, with an overview that covers applications such as biomedical, automotive, aerospace, and energy. Papers addressing joining and forming technologies as well as corrosion and surface finishing are also welcome.

It is our pleasure to invite you to contribute full papers, communications, and reviews to this special issue.

Prof. Dr. Paolo Mengucci
Dr. Eleonora Santecchia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

additive manufacturing
light alloys
mechanical properties
microstructural characterization
process parameters
powder metallurgy
corrosion properties and surface finishing
modeling and simulation

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

17 pages, 6913 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Developing Fused Deposition Modeling Additive Manufacturing Processing Strategies for Aluminum Alloy 7075: Sample Preparation and Metallographic Characterization

by Huan Ding, Congyuan Zeng, Jonathan Raush, Kasra Momeni and Shengmin Guo

Materials 2022, 15(4), 1340; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15041340 - 11 Feb 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2650

Abstract

Currently, no commercial aluminum 7000 series filaments are available for making aluminum parts using fused deposition modeling (FDM)-based additive manufacturing (AM). The key technical challenge associated with the FDM of aluminum alloy parts is consolidating the loosely packed alloy powders in the brown-body, separated by thin layers of surface oxides and polymer binders, into a dense structure. Classical pressing and sintering-based powder metallurgy (P/M) technologies are employed in this study to assist the development of FDM processing strategies for making strong Al7075 AM parts. Relevant FDM processing strategies, including green-body/brown-body formation and the sintering processes, are examined. The microstructures of the P/M-prepared, FDM-like Al7075 specimens are analyzed and compared with commercially available FDM 17-4 steel specimens. We explored the polymer removal and sintering strategies to minimize the pores of FDM-Al7075-sintered parts. Furthermore, the mechanisms that govern the sintering process are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Light Metal Alloys for Additive Manufacturing)

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Review

Jump to: Research

26 pages, 3795 KiB

Open AccessReview

Review of Aluminum Alloy Development for Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing

by Geir Langelandsvik, Odd M. Akselsen, Trond Furu and Hans J. Roven

Materials 2021, 14(18), 5370; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14185370 - 17 Sep 2021

Cited by 42 | Viewed by 6359

Abstract

Processing of aluminum alloys by wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) gained significant attention from industry and academia in the last decade. With the possibility to create large and relatively complex parts at low investment and operational expenses, WAAM is well-suited for implementation in a range of industries. The process nature involves fusion melting of a feedstock wire by an electric arc where metal droplets are strategically deposited in a layer-by-layer fashion to create the final shape. The inherent fusion and solidification characteristics in WAAM are governing several aspects of the final material, herein process-related defects such as porosity and cracking, microstructure, properties, and performance. Coupled to all mentioned aspects is the alloy composition, which at present is highly restricted for WAAM of aluminum but received considerable attention in later years. This review article describes common quality issues related to WAAM of aluminum, i.e., porosity, residual stresses, and cracking. Measures to combat these challenges are further outlined, with special attention to the alloy composition. The state-of-the-art of aluminum alloy selection and measures to further enhance the performance of aluminum WAAM materials are presented. Strategies for further development of new alloys are discussed, with attention on the importance of reducing crack susceptibility and grain refinement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Light Metal Alloys for Additive Manufacturing)

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