Additive

manufacturing
Email:
amcrc@amcrc.com.au
Phone:
+61 3 9214 4780
Website:
www.amcrc.com.au

Additive manufacturing is having alarge scale

impact on product development, engineering and
manufacturing around the world. Predictions are
that the additive manufacturing market will reach
US$3.7 billion in 2015 and US$6.5 billion in 2019
and the technology presents multiple benefits
and opportunities for Australian industry.
The expanding lists of material options,
applications, and business using the technology
are evidence that additive manufacturing
is not a passing phase.

What is Additive
manufacturing?
Additive manufacturingrefers to a set of
technologies that create a 3D object from
Computer Aided Design (CAD) files through a
sequential layering process, hence adding the
material layer-by-layer to build up the designed
part. This differs from traditional techniques
such as subtractive (i.e. CNC) or moulding
(i.e. die-casting) which either cut
material away, or pour molten
material into a cavity.

Objects that are manufactured additively can be

used anywhere throughout the product life cycle;
from pre-production (i.e. prototyping) to full-scale
production (i.e.rapid manufacturing), through
to post-production customisation, repair work,
and maintenance.

What are the

technologies?
Additive manufacturingtechnologies cover
many different processes and materials.
The rapid development of additive manufacturing
technology is vastly increasing the capabilities of
the process. These developments have increased
the range of materials available, as well as the
size and complexity of components. As additive
manufacturing grows, technical standards are
being developed to help define and distinguish
the different range of processes.

The table below outlines the key technologies and materials used in additive manufacturing.

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www.amcrc.com.au

Extrusion
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+61 3 9214 4780

Materials
Thermoplastics (ABS,
PLA), Polycarbonate,
Polyphenylsulfone,
Polyester, edible
materials, metal wire

A layer of powder
is laid down and a
process melts, or
bonds, the layers
together

Direct Metal Laser

Sintering (DMLS)

Metal alloys, Stainless

Steel, Cobalt Chrome,
Maragaing Steel,
Titanium Alloy (TI-64),
Aluminium (AlSi10Mg),
Nickel Alloy

Electron Beam
Melting (EBM)

Titanium Alloys,
Aluminium Alloys

Selective Heat
Sintering (SHS)

Thermoplastic powder

Selective Laser
Sintering (SLS)

Thermoplastics,metal
powders,ceramic
powders

Powder bed and

inkjet head

Bio-printing (cells),
Plaster, 316L stainless
steel + bronze, 420
stainless steel +
bronze, Wax, Starch,
Molding Sand

Thin layers of
material are cut
to shape and then
joined together

Laminated Object
Manufacturing (LOM)

Paper,metal foil,plastic
film, carbon fibre

Material is cured in
layers via light

Stereolithography(SLA)

photopolymers

Digital Light
Processing(DLP)

liquid resin

Laminated

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amcrc@amcrc.com.au

Technologies

Melted or softened Fused Deposition

material is extruded Modelling (FDM)
from a nozzle to
make the layers

Light
Polymerised

To learn more

Process

Powder

Method

Example