Metal Additive Manufacturing of End-Use Components and Parts: A Practical Overview

This paper offers a practical overview of the most common procedures and materials currently available in the production of end-use metal components and parts by additive manufacturing (AM). The latest achievements and news are also discussed with special attention on defining the real production capability of each technological AM option under investigation. As general conclusion, by the present technical review, it was possible to confirm the proper capabilities of AM in accelerating the development of ready-to-market metal products supporting the overall industrial investment strategy. This is especially true in the case of geometrically complex parts or small/variable production batches. Furthermore, it also emerges that a direct metal 3D printing opens to new possibilities with relevant impacts on the contemporary industry, especially if driven by with appropriate changes in the information system and technology.