Additive Manufacturing Technologies: An Actual Overview

This paper provides an up-to-date overview of the technologies used today in the field of Additive Manufacturing (AM). For each type of process, it is outlined which techniques are most often used and which are the most suitable materials for the development of the AM process. The latest technologies are analysed, highlighting their potential, accuracy and ability to create complex geometric features that are difficult, or impossible, to achieve by conventional processing techniques. Finally, some case studies developed by the authors dealing with lattice structures with high ratios of mechanical characteristics / porosity are presented. For these applications, the most proper AM technologies and the most performing materials, that provide accurate solutions, were evaluated.