Additive Manufacturing (AM) is increasingly penetrating the traditional domain of advanced manufacturing and is considered by designers and engineers to offer significant advantages due to the high design freedom and sustainable use of the materials. However, the use of AM in serial applications, especially for metals, requires knowledge about part properties, performance, process induced microstructure and defects, etc. Though the topic of AM of metals has been investigated by a growing research community, the available data on properties is still scarce. Most research has focused on mechanical properties, such as yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation at break for selected materials, as primary requirements for the design of lightweight parts. Fatigue properties are also increasingly considered but other properties are often overlooked.
Whilst for conventional manufacturing, material properties are widely available in the form of databases and handbooks, the properties of materials in AM often differ due to different manufacturing conditions, the resulting microstructures and, thus, properties of parts. Properties of AM structures may also be altered on purpose by applying specific designs or processing conditions.
This Research Topic seeks contributions that broaden our knowledge of properties of metals in AM. Papers that address the behavior of additively manufactured materials with respect to thermo-physical properties, corrosion resistance, tribological performance, magnetic and optical properties, among others, are of particular interest. Contributions to mechanical properties are also highly welcome if they offer new insights or cover new materials. Papers which aim at initiating a certain desired property and behavior in the structure, by changing the part and structure design or the processing conditions, are also of interest. This collection should enable designers and engineers to unlock new applications for AM, as well as contributing to simulation and digital manufacturing through enhancing the database.
Original research papers, as well as reviews, are welcome. Themes of interest for this Research Topic include, but are not limited to:
• Properties of metallic materials and parts manufactured by AM
• Relationships between process parameters and final component properties (e.g. microstructure, physical and mechanical properties)
• Properties of AM beyond mechanical behavior (e.g. thermo-physical properties, corrosion resistance, tribological performance, magnetic and optical properties)
• Mechanical properties of AM, if offering new insights or covering new materials
• Mesostructures, metamaterials and AM process control to get a certain microstructure to achieve a desired macroscopic behavior
• New AM applications and design studies requiring specific properties