The rise of 3D printing – or additive manufacturing – has rapidly gained in popularity. The process provides a number of compelling benefits, including shorter lead times and reduced waste. Most notably, however, it is additive manufacturing’s ability to produce new designs that are not possible with conventional techniques, such as casting and machining.
With no need for tooling, parts can be manufactured faster and on demand, reducing the need for holding stock and helping to save expensive materials, like titanium, by using only the required amount of material. Additionally, the greater design and production flexibility can pave the way for mass customization.
At its core, additive manufacturing refers to the building up of 3D components layer by layer from metal powder through laser technology, typically laser metal fusion or laser metal deposition. The production process occurs in a protective atmosphere within the printer chamber, which is preserved by gases such as argon or nitrogen. Absence of such gases would result in metal oxidizing while lasers melt the object’s surface.
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