A Review on metal 3D printing; 3D welding

Abstract

3D printing is a well-known method to produce a 3D object and widely used in many types of industries including, mechanical, civil, medical, etc. The technology has been applied in industry for more than 20 years ago, but it is strictly limited to the slow production of small plastic objects, and some special fabric only. As its advancements, the technology of 3D printing becomes broad interest recently. In present industrial, 3D printers are able to produce high precision, quality products of different sizes fast at comparatively low cost. The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of 3D printing in meeting low and medium production volumes besides having a review on metal 3D printing techniques available. The issue and challenges in producing metal 3D printing also will be discussed extensively in this paper. Suggestions on the subtractive method to complete the 3D printing process according to research interest also explained in this paper.