A Brief Review on Additive Manufacturing Processes for Lightweight Metal Matrix Composites: Recent advances in selection, reinforcement, preparation and processing and their influence on material properties

Abstract

Many additive manufacturing (AM) processes have been developed to fabricate lightweight metal matrix composites (LMMCs) from constituent materials. However, the improvement in mechanical properties is significantly affected by the added reinforcing materials in the LMMC compared to metallic materials and their alloys. Recent advances in understanding the selecting criteria and effect of the reinforcement, preparation methods and AM process on the properties of LMMCs are summarised in this review. The preparation methods of particle-reinforced LMMCs include ex situ and in situ synthesis. The effect of various reinforcement and AM processes such as powder bed fusion (PBF) processes and direct energy deposition (DED) processes on the mechanical properties of LMMC parts are discussed.