Fusion‐Based Additive Manufacturing for Processing Aluminum Alloys: State‐of‐the‐Art and Challenges

Abstract

The fusion‐based additive manufacturing of Al alloys has been developing at an ever faster pace since early 2015, after a comparatively slow start with respect to other metallic materials. This paper reviews the recent developments with the aim of identifying challenges and opportunities for future work. Additive Al components possess strongly out‐of‐equilibrium microstructures resulting in potentially enhanced mechanical properties. A deeper understanding of the thermal history during fabrication, the design of new high strength alloys and the development of better adapted post‐processing procedures are still needed to take full advantages of the specificities of additive manufacturing.