Review on Additive Manufacturing of Multi-Material Parts: Progress and Challenges

Abstract

Additive manufacturing has already been established as a highly versatile manufacturing technique with demonstrated potential to completely transform conventional manufacturing in the future. The objective of this paper is to review the latest progress and challenges associated with the fabrication of multi-material parts using additive manufacturing technologies. Various manufacturing processes and materials used to produce functional components were investigated and summarized. The latest applications of multi-material additive manufacturing (MMAM) in the automotive, aerospace, biomedical and dentistry fields were demonstrated. An investigation on the current challenges was also carried out to predict the future direction of MMAM processes. It was concluded that further research and development is needed in the design of multi-material interfaces, manufacturing processes and the material compatibility of MMAM parts.

Infill Strategy in 3D Printed PLA Carbon Composites: Effect on Tensile Performance

“…Additive manufacturing (AM) is a genuine process of joining materials layer by layer from a digitalised model [ 1 ]. The growing interest on additive manufacturing is justified by numerous advantages, among are which the high level of complexity, the weak dependence to tooling, the local control of the structure, and the customisation of the realisations [ 2 ]. According to the review paper by Hasanov et al [ 2 ], AM can be a key technology for transformation of conventional manufacturing, allowing for the production of functionally graded materials, for instance.…”

“…The growing interest on additive manufacturing is justified by numerous advantages, among are which the high level of complexity, the weak dependence to tooling, the local control of the structure, and the customisation of the realisations [ 2 ]. According to the review paper by Hasanov et al [ 2 ], AM can be a key technology for transformation of conventional manufacturing, allowing for the production of functionally graded materials, for instance. Several processing routes fall within the definition of AM technology, such as Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF)/Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) [ 3 ], or selective laser sintering (SLS) [ 4 ].…”

Vat Photopolymerization Additive Manufacturing of Functionally Graded Materials: A Review

“…The capability of application of two or more materials in one single process plays an important role for AM method for cost effective and production rate efficient fabrication of multimaterial FGMs. Hasanov et al [73] published a comprehensive review that deals with the state-of-art and main challenges of multi-material fabrication with all AM methods. They pointed out that improvements should be done in development of suitable software, characterization of optimal transition zones, large-scale manufacturing capability, materials that allow different combinations and printer design.…”

“…Lack of guidelines and standards for the selection of best AM method in terms of characterization of grading in materials Commercial methodologies for the mass production via AM methods Hasanov et al [73] reported in their review article that improvements in following points are needed for the design and manufacturing of complex FGMs.…”

Additive Manufacturing: An Opportunity for the Fabrication of Near-Net-Shape NiTi Implants

“…AM was described and patented for the first time by Chuck Hull in the early 1980s [4]. AM technology has demonstrated a great ability to manufacture pieces from ceramic [5][6][7], metallic [8][9][10], and polymeric powders [11][12][13], as well as their mixtures [14,15], for diverse applications by directly extracting the geometric data from computer-aided design (CAD) models [16,17]. In comparison to traditional manufacturing methods, AM can produce complex-shaped objects with a simple production process, high flexibility, shorter production time, minimal waste of material, low cost, and near-net-shape results [18][19][20].…”