Issue 58

F.R. Andreacola et al., Frattura ed Integrità Strutturale, 58 (2021) 282-295; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.58.21

During the last 30 years, AM has had a groundbreaking development thanks to its irrefutable advantages, such as its versatility in reproducing whatever geometry, the minimum human interaction requirement, the reduced time of design [2], etc. The development of the current AM process passed through different printing technologies proposed in the last decades, which are summarized in Fig. 1 [2–6]: in 1980 SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) systems were developed; in 1986, Hull patented a manufacturing process called SLA (Stereolithography); in 1988, LOM (Laminated Object Manufacturing) systems were developed; in 1989, the first FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) machine was marketed; in 1995, the first SLM (Selective Laser Melting) machines were proposed as an alternative technology to stereolithography; in 1998, Arcam AB marketed the first EBM (Electron Laser Melting) based machine. Since early 2000, several different 3D Printing machines and techniques were developed, and, in the last years, a relevant diffusion of new methodologies, with a significant research effort for using innovative materials, has been recorded worldwide (see Tab. 1).

Figure 1: Evolution of the Additive Manufacturing technology.

Solid based

Liquid based

Powder based

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM)

Stereolithography (SLA) Multi-Jet Modeling (MJM)

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) Electron Beam Melting (EBM) Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

Digital Light Processing (DLP) Multi-Jet Modeling (MJM)

Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS)

Table 1: Classification of AM process depending on the state of raw material [3][7].

Nowadays, the different types of AM (Additive Manufacturing) processes should be rely on the material used, on the methods adopted for building the layers and on the applications required from the beginning to the end of the process. A CAD (Computer aided design) representation of the object is the starting point for any AM process. The quality of the model directly affects the final result for which an accurate virtual representation phase is essential. However, nowadays, there are several methods for obtaining a CAD representation even for non-experts of virtual modeling software. Once the CAD file is obtained, the following step is to make it readable for the printer. For this purpose, all the machines need to convert the CAD model into an STL (Standard Triangulation Language) file, a Stereolithography interface format, and then perform the object slicing [3]. Among the available AM processes, SLM has attracted attention more and more in the last recent years, because of its superior flexible manufacturing capability, with fruitful applications in the aerospace, medical, and automotive industries. This AM technology uses a high-energy laser beam, by which the piece is built layer-by-layer through the selective melting and consolidation of a metal powder. The layer thicknesses vary in the range of 20 and 100 μ m. Compared with the traditional casting and forging methods, SLM attracted and attracts increasing attention due to its outstanding features, such as the ability to net-shape manufacture without the dies and the high capacity of manufacturing any geometry. The SLM process is schematically shown in Fig. 2.

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