3. The material/process/machinery triangle in additive manufacturing

3.1 Materials

Before even looking at the processes, it is important to consider the materials dimension in AM. At present, four families of materials are represented : metals, polymers, ceramics and composites. However, the two most widely used families are polymers (thermoplastics, thermosetting resins, etc.) at 80% of volume sold and metals (aluminium, steel, nickel, titanium, etc.). These figures are liable to change over the coming years due to the growing interest in industry towards DAM, particularly for metal parts.

However, even though the available range continues to grow constantly, it remains limited compared with the choice of materials accessible for traditional processes. In addition, these materials must be available in liquid, powdered or...