Metal 3D printing How additive manufacturing of metal components is changing

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Here, two experts discuss how additive manufacturing of metal parts is developing in industrial production.

Additive manufacturing, particularly the 3D printing of metal, has evolved over the past few years from a promising alternative to a significant component of industrial production. Dr. Stefan Leuders, Head of Technology & Innovation at Voestalpine Additive Manufacturing Center GmbH from Düsseldorf (Germany), and Dr. Tim Lantzsch, Head of the Laser Powder Bed Fusion department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) in Aachen (Germany), discuss the current trends in additive manufacturing, analyze opportunities and risks, and highlight which industries can particularly benefit. This information comes from an interview conducted by ILT.

The current trends in additive manufacturing

For Tim Lantzsch, an important trend is the increasing adaptation of materials and applications to the specific requirements of additive manufacturing. Many of the materials used so far were not originally developed for additive manufacturing processes. He also notes that while the process is expensive, targeted cost reductions and a focus on niche applications are making the added value clearer.

According to Stefan Leuders, the current trends in additive manufacturing focus heavily on extensively developing and utilizing the specific advantages of the technology for different application fields. For him, particularly promising is the increasing willingness to rethink long-established development approaches and not apply them one-to-one to new products that may later be manufactured via an additive process route. For him, it's primarily not about replacing existing processes but rather about increasing product utility through 3D printing in metal.

Is metallic 3D printing really too expensive?

For Lantzsch, the economic challenges lie primarily in the high costs of equipment and materials. These expenses ultimately determine the component prices, and there is still significant room for optimization. Particularly critical for him is process reliability, which is not yet widely achieved. Efforts are being made to develop additive manufacturing from a specialist niche into a robust, more broadly applicable technology that is also competitive in mass production.

Leuders agrees that a key economic factor continues to be the hourly rate of equipment. However, he sees increasing movement in equipment costs, primarily caused by non-European competition, which simultaneously raises the cost share of the materials used. Therefore, the pressure to reduce costs is rising here as well. Nevertheless, striving to become more cost-effective in terms of industrial use of additive manufacturing remains a crucial key to opening up further application fields in the future.