Freedom of design, mass customisation, waste minimisation and the ability to manufacture complex structures, as well as fast prototyping, are the main benefits of additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing. A comprehensive review of the main 3D printing methods, materials and their development in trending applications was carried out. In particular, the revolutionary applications of AM in biomedical, aerospace, buildings and protective structures were discussed. The current state of materials development, including metal alloys, polymer composites, ceramics and concrete, was presented. In addition, this paper discussed the main processing challenges with void formation, anisotropic behaviour, the limitation of computer design and layer-by-layer appearance. Overall, this paper gives an overview of 3D printing, including a survey on its benefits and drawbacks as a benchmark for future research and development.

Additive manufacturing (3D printing): A review of materials, methods, applications and challenges

The use of 3D printing for rapid tooling and manufacturing has promised to produce components with complex geometries according to computer designs. Due to the intrinsically limited mechanical properties and functionalities of printed pure polymer parts, there is a critical need to develop printable polymer composites with high performance. 3D printing offers many advantages in the fabrication of composites, including high precision, cost effective and customized geometry. This article gives an overview on 3D printing techniques of polymer composite materials and the properties and performance of 3D printed composite parts as well as their potential applications in the fields of biomedical, electronics and aerospace engineering. Common 3D printing techniques such as fused deposition modeling, selective laser sintering, inkjet 3D printing, stereolithography, and 3D plotting are introduced. The formation methodology and the performance of particle-, fiber- and nanomaterial-reinforced polymer composites are emphasized. Finally, important limitations are identified to motivate the future research of 3D printing.

3D printing of polymer matrix composites: A review and prospective

Along with extensive research on the three-dimensional (3D) printing of polymers and metals, 3D printing of ceramics is now the latest trend to come under the spotlight. The ability to fabricate ceramic components of arbitrarily complex shapes has been extremely challenging without 3D printing. This review focuses on the latest advances in the 3D printing of ceramics and presents the historical origins and evolution of each related technique. The main technical aspects, including feedstock properties, process control, post-treatments and energy source–material interactions, are also discussed. The technical challenges and advice about how to address these are presented. Comparisons are made between the techniques to facilitate the selection of the best ones in practical use. In addition, representative applications of the 3D printing of various types of ceramics are surveyed. Future directions are pointed out on the advancement on materials and forming mechanism for the fabrication of high-performance ceramic components.

3D printing of ceramics: A review

A review of trends and limitations in hydrogel-rapid prototyping for tissue engineering

Wire-feed additive manufacturing (AM) is a promising alternative to traditional subtractive manufacturing for fabricating large expensive metal components with complex geometry. The current research focus on wire-feed AM is trying to produce complex-shaped functional metal components with good geometry accuracy, surface finish and material property to meet the demanding requirements from aerospace, automotive and rapid tooling industry. Wire-feed AM processes generally involve high residual stresses and distortions due to the excessive heat input and high deposition rate. The influences of process conditions, such as energy input, wire-feed rate, welding speed, deposition pattern and deposition sequences, etc., on thermal history and resultant residual stresses of AM-processed components needs to be further understood. In addition, poor accuracy and surface finish of the process limit the applications of wire-feed AM technology. In this paper, after an introduction of various wire-feed AM technologies and its characteristics, an in depth review of various process aspects of wire-feed AM, including quality and accuracy of wire-feed AM processed components, will be presented. The overall objective is to identify the current challenges for wire-feed AM as well as point out the future research direction.

Wire-feed additive manufacturing of metal components: technologies, developments and future interests

A review of process development steps for new material systems in three dimensional printing (3DP)

The University of Washington and ExOne, Inc. are collaborating in the development of advanced ceramic materials and processes for three-dimensional printing (3DP). The focus of the research to be presented is work funded by the National Science Foundation to develop a biocompatible alumina-based system for medical and dental applications. Materials design, characterization, and processing considerations will be discussed.

Rhonda L. Anderson

Papers

A review of process development steps for new material systems in three dimensional printing (3DP)

Advanced Ceramic Materials and Processes for Three-Dimensional Printing (3DP)