Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2017) 89:3651–3660
DOI 10.1007/s00170-016-9335-4
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The research status and development trend of additive
manufacturing technology
Lian Chen 1,2 & Yong He 3 & Yingxin Yang 2,4 & Shiwei Niu 2 & Haitao Ren 2
Received: 5 April 2016 / Accepted: 15 August 2016 / Published online: 24 August 2016
# Springer-Verlag London 2016
Abstract The paper first presents a brief review of devel-
opment courses of additive manufacturing technology and
summarizes the development status and the application
fields of additive manufacturing technology, then, accord-
ing to the manufacturing methods, it focuses on the prin-
ciples and characteristics of several main additive
manufacturing technologies. This paper also analyzes the
existing problems and challenges of additive manufactur-
ing technology and its future development trend. This pa-
per aims to provide references for the development direc-
tion of additive manufacturing technology in developing
countries.
Keywords Additive manufacturing . Manufacturing
technology . Development status . Process . Development
trend
1 Introduction
Additive manufacturing (AM) technology was born in the
late 1980’s in America. It is a new technology based on the
method of material accumulation, and it is considered to be
* Lian Chen
chenlian8121@sina.com
1
School of Mechanical Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University,
Chengdu 610031, China
2
School of Mechatronic Engineering, Southwest Petroleum
University, 8# Xin Du Rd, Xindu District, Chengdu 610500, China
3
Luzhou Vocational and Technical College, Luzhou 646005, China
4
State Key Lab of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation,
Chengdu 610031, China
a great achievement in the recent 30 years in manufacturing
field [1, 2].
Additive manufacturing technology is a kind of technology
which manufactures entity components by means of the grad-
ual accumulation of material. It is a general term for all the
manufacturing technologies which are able to directly produce
the three-dimensional physical entity models that are fully
consistent with their mathematical model. AM technology
integrates such technologies as mechanical engineering,
CAD, layered manufacturing technology, numerical control
technology, materials science, and laser technology, which is
able to turn the design ideas into a certain functional prototype
or even manufacture parts directly [3]. For the past 20 years,
AM technology has developed rapidly. The different names,
such as “Rapid Prototyping,” “Solid Free-form Fabrication,”
and “Three Dimensional Printing,” express the characteristics
of this technology from different aspects [4].
At present, AM technology is gradually becoming the core
technology which has increasing concern to the national stra-
tegic industry. This combination of digital information tech-
nology with new materials has been known as “the third in-
dustrial revolution.” [5–7] Compared with the conventional
removing machining and distortion processing methods, AM
technology of layer by layer processing has many prominent
advantages, such as direct manufacturing process without
molds, unrestricted to the degree of structural complexity,
providing more freedom for the innovative design, high utili-
zation of materials, and environment friendly. The technology
has been available to meet the growing needs in many areas,
such as small quantities of some single industrial products,
medical customized implants, cultural and creative displays,
personalized daily necessities, and other items [8–10]. With
further development of AM technology, its application range
further expands to the aerospace, automotive, and other fields.
In the past few years, aircraft manufacturers and medical
3652
applications are the fastest growing AM technology applica-
tions, with AM technology as the representative of a new
industrial revolution began to take shape [11].
1.1 Development status and application fields of AM
technology
1.2 The development status of AM technology
Additive manufacturing technology is rapidly changing the
traditional mode of production and the way of life.
Considered it as the strategic emerging industry, countries in
Europe and America and some other emerging economies
begin to formulate development strategies, make investment
in it, and increase R&D efforts to promote its industrialization
[12].
After 20 years’ of development, the United States has be-
come a leading country in terms of additive manufacturing. In
March 2012, the White House announced that it would invest
$1 billion to help USA manufacturing system reform. In
August 2012, the USA AM Innovation Institute was
established. It combines with 14 universities, more than 40
companies, and 11 non-profit organizations and professional
associations located respectively in western Pennsylvania,
eastern Ohio, and western Virginia [13].
British government has continued to increase R&D bud-
gets for AM technology since 2011. The UK Engineering and
Physical Sciences Research Council has established an AM
technology research center. Its participating institutions are 15
well-known universities, research institutes, and enterprises,
including Loughborough University, University of
Birmingham, the UK National Physical Laboratory, Boeing,
and the German EOS company. Germany established a direct
Manufacturing Research Centre, which mainly aims at study-
ing and promoting the application of AM technology in light-
weight structure in the field of aerospace. The French AM
technology association dedicates to study the AM technical
standards. Spain has launched a development project of AM
technology, which includes AM generic technology, mate-
rials, technology exchange, and the commercial pattern. The
Australian government announced in February 2012 to sup-
port a revolutionary aerospace project named “micro-motors
AM technology.” The project manufactures miniature engine
parts with the help of AM technology in the aerospace field.
The Japanese government also attaches great importance to
the development of AM technology. It formulates preferential
policies and invests a lot of money to encourage the close
integration of CEEUSRO, making great efforts to promote
the application of this technology in the area of aerospace
and other fields [14, 15]. After nearly 30 years of research,
significant progresses have been made in typical forming
equipment, software, materials, and other aspects of the re-
search and industrialization in China. Generally speaking, part
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2017) 89:3651–3660
of the technology level of China’s AM equipment is fairly
with the foreign advanced level, but some aspects are behind
the foreign advanced level, such as, key components, molding
materials, application ranges, etc. [16, 17]. In addition, in the
research and intelligent degree of the additive manufacturing
technology and equipment, there are still some gaps between
China and other foreign countries, as a result, most of the core
components of AM equipment still rely mainly on import
[18].
1.3 AM technology applications
Since the birth of additive manufacturing technology, rapid
development has been made only in the recent 30 years. The
Wohlers Association of USA specializing in consulting ser-
vices of AM technology summarized and analyzed the AM
technology application in various industries in 2013. It pointed
out that over the past few years, the fastest growing application
is for aviation parts, manufacturing, and medical science [19].
(1) Aerospace field.
AM technology is becoming more and more popular.
Aviation industry is one of the leaders of its popularity, be-
cause the method can easily produce the lightweight and long-
life components [20]. In aerospace field, the rapid additive
manufacturing of metal, non-metal, or metal matrix compos-
ites are currently the fastest growing research direction [21].
Figure 1 shows a rapidly solidified fine columnar crystal gra-
dient radially oriented organization, Ni-base superalloy tur-
bine engine disk sample [22]. In the past, AM technology
was mainly used in prototype parts manufacturing and proto-
type tooling, and then these prototype parts were used for fit
and function test. The current study of AM technology has
focused on the application of the final production products,
especially the metal parts. Although AM technology has been
used in the production of parts, mainly in limited quantities
[23, 24].
(2) Medical field.
Clinical disciplines, including orthopedics, plastic surgery,
stomatology teaching and training and so on, is the main ap-
plication of AM technology in the field of medicine [25].
Especially, AM technology, which provides new accurate
and personalized ideas and methods for the diagnosis and
treatment of orthopedic diseases (such as bone-arthrosis rep-
lication, implant customization, etc.) and the stomatology
(such as making removable partial dentures metal bracket,
completes denture, implant prosthetics, and oral deformity
correction, etc.), are widely used in orthopedics and
stomatology Fig. 2.