“…Since the advent of the first working laser in 1960, [47] laser technology has evolved tremendously with improvements in power output, energy conversion efficiency, cost, and life. [47,50,51] For manufacturing alone, examples of their usage include material removal, [52] micromachining (Nd:YAG pulsed laser [53][54][55] ), laser hole drilling, [56] laser welding and repair, [57] coating and cladding, [58][59][60] laser cutting, [61] laser riveting, [62] laser surface heat treatment, [63] laser nondestructive inspection (NDI), [64] laser scanning, [65] and the latest, laser-based AM, which is the focus of this review. [48] This is believed to have laid the foundation for today's AM technology.…”