Metal printing may be becoming easier and faster with the fused filament fabrication (FFF) process and a $400 desktop printer. Similarly faster but using a different process, a U.S.-based company is building complex metal parts up to 100 times faster than laser systems. As a result, part costs are up to 20 times lower than laser-based AM systems.

A study using AM titanium parts in the Navy’s MV-22B Osprey shows that AM parts are as strong as conventional parts. GKN Hoeganaes Specialty Metal Powders has added AncorTi™ Beta 21S titanium for additive manufacturing. Beta 21S titanium is a high-strength, heat-treatable, metastable beta-titanium alloy.