The topic of “Sintering/Additive Manufacturing (AM)” garners much reader interest, particularly because of the dynamic nature of AM. Everyone wants to stay informed about this relatively new and developing technology. Check out these eight articles, which are the current reader favorites based on website activity, to stay informed.

Heat Treating 3D-Printed Metals

This September 2016 article is far and away the overall reader favorite in this category. It offers a great overview of 3D/AM. If you want to read a concise discussion of this topic, more than 1,000 online readers this year alone believe this is a great resource (www.industrialheating.com/3Dadditive).

Metal 3D printing, or additive manufacturing (AM), is an advanced manufacturing method that opens up new possibilities for designing objects with optimized geometries and minimized weight using far less material and energy – important drivers for a future sustainable, energy-efficient industrial base. New hot isostatic press (HIP) technologies are making it possible to accomplish heat treatments in the same vessel where HIP takes place, making for a faster, cheaper and more energy-efficient manufacturing process.

How Additive Manufacturing is Reshaping the Auto Industry

While additive manufacturing (AM) is a boon for specialized metal aerospace components, medical devices and custom implants, mass production of automotive components using 3D printing, or AM, may still seem a way off. Yet there are areas where the auto industry is already leveraging 3D-printing technology in its design and manufacturing strategies. What are those areas?

This article reviews the role of metal powders and industrial gases in several AM processes that involve laser metal fusion and laser metal deposition. It will also discuss how industrial gas technologies are helping to address the challenges ahead.

First seen in the May issue this year, you can find it at www.industrialheating.com/AMauto.

3D Printing Remakes the Strain Gauge

This article from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) was seen in our February 3D Printing Report enewsletter.

A new 3D-printing technique for manufacturing strain gauges has been developed. This method significantly improves the sensitivity of strain gauges and increases their capabilities for use in high-temperature applications. You can learn more about it by going to www.industrialheating.com/3Dstrain.

Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing): Past, Present and Future

Some would say that 3D printing is a state-of-the-art manufacturing process. Perhaps it’s more of a coming-of-age story. Just what is it all about? Why is it important to the high-temperature thermal-processing industry? We review the past, present and future of this hot technology.

If you can read only one or two articles on this list, we suggest reading this May 2014 article (written by our editor) followed by the first one on this list. You can find this one at www.industrialheating.com/AM-3D.

Designing a New Way to Train 3D-Printing Workers

A second article contributed by CMU was run in March as a website-exclusive about training workers in the 3D/AM field. Called ACADEMI, the training program is part of a long-term strategic alliance between America Makes, the national accelerator for 3D printing, and The Lanterman Group. The two are combining their efforts to develop ACADEMI as a nationally recognized training curriculum for additive manufacturing.

ACADEMI, which stands for Advanced Curriculum in Additive Design, Engineering and Manufacturing Innovation, is the first hands-on certification program in the U.S. focused on designing and producing products for 3D printing. Currently, other 3D-printing certification courses only teach participants the basics of 3D-printing software and equipment. But ACADEMI educates workers on how to apply the technology within their companies to drive competitiveness. You can learn more about it at www.industrialheating.com/Train3D.

Additive-Manufacturing Research Explores the Behavior of Metals, Alloys

Significant work is being done in the field of additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing. This growing field allows manufacturers to create more-complicated, lighter parts with less wasted materials. Yet the industry continues to have questions about how materials that have been additively manufactured will behave in their environment. Will the materials be durable? Will corrosion be a problem? How will the part withstand stress?

You can get the answers to these questions by reading this December 2016 article, which was contributed by Worchester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), at www.industrialheating.com/amwpi.

Low-Cost Production of Titanium Alloys to Reduce Energy Consumption

This article from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) was first seen in February 2017. Advancements in nonferrous metals processing are of great interest to the DOE. Hydrogen Sintering and Phase Transformations (HSPT) is a promising manufacturing technology that can be used to produce titanium-alloy components in a near-net-shape form.

Innovative options for titanium production are needed to allow the metal to be better utilized for its unique properties. Conventional processing results in titanium parts being more than 40 times more expensive than steel parts and 20 times more than parts made from aluminum. Read this article at www.industrialheating.com/Titanium.

Reimagining 3D Metal Printing

3D printing is quickly catching fire in the world of manufacturing. Although the aerospace and medical-device industries were the first players to adopt the process, all industries that work with metals, including automotive, are now beginning to realize the promise of 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM). AM has the potential to reduce waste, decrease time to market, increase product performance and promote product innovation.

Professor Jack Beuth from CMU, who has been researching AM for 20 years, believes that if a company has not begun to explore the technology, they should because when it comes to AM, the clock is ticking. Learn more by reading this May 2017 article here: www.industrialheating.com/3D-AM. 

Looking at our reader-favorite list, we can see that web searchers are working to get their heads around this technology and are trying to figure out how they should be involved. For those already involved in AM/3D, learning how to process it is key.