Additive Manufacturing Technologies
Abstract
The use of conventional manufacturing methods is mainly limited by the
size of the production run and the geometrical complexity of the
component, and as a result we are occasionally forced to use processes
and tools that increase the final cost of the element being produced.
Additive manufacturing techniques provide major competitive advantages
due to the fact that they adapt to the geometrical complexity and
customised design of the part to be manufactured. The following may also
be achieved according to field of application: lighter weight products,
multimaterial products, ergonomic products, efficient short production
runs, fewer assembly errors and, therefore, lower associated costs,
lower tool investment costs, a combination of different manufacturing
processes, an optimised use of materials, and a more sustainable
manufacturing process. Additive manufacturing is seen as being one of
the major revolutionary industrial processes of the next few years.
Additive manufacturing has several alternatives ranging from simple
RepRap machines to complex fused metal deposition systems. This paper
will expand upon the structural design of the machines, their history,
classification, the alternatives existing today, materials used and
their characteristics, the technology limitations, and also the
prospects that are opening up for different technologies both in the
professional field of innovation and the academic field of research. It
is important to say that the choice of technology is directly dependent
on the particular application being planned: first the application and
then the technology.
Source: Mariano Jiménez, Luis Romero, Iris A. Domínguez, María del Mar Espinosa, and Manuel Domínguez, https://www.hindawi.com/journals/complexity/2019/9656938/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.