Additive Manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing (AM), also known as three-dimensional printing, encompasses a suite of digitally driven processes that build complex parts layer by layer directly from computer models. By selectively depositing or fusing materials—ranging from polymers and metals to ceramics and composites—AM overcomes the design constraints of traditional subtractive or formative techniques. This layer-wise approach enables internal lattices, conformal cooling channels and mass customisation in sectors as diverse as aerospace, medical devices and microfluidics. Recent advances in process control, in situ monitoring and multi-material integration have expanded its industrial reach, yet challenges remain in ensuring consistent interlayer bonding, minimising residual stresses and scaling high-speed production. The global significance of AM lies in its ability to reduce material waste, shorten lead times and integrate functional elements such as sensors or fluidic pathways, pointing to transformative manufacturing strategies in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Research from Nature Portfolio

An interactive software platform has been introduced for the rapid design of 3D-printed microfluidic devices without requiring specialised fluid dynamics expertise. The framework offers a library of parametrised components, multi-layer layout tools and a built-in Design-for-Manufacturing module that bridges the gap between conceptual layouts and printer-ready files. By streamlining the workflow from virtual design to physical fabrication on consumer-grade stereolithography printers, this work democratises access to customised lab-on-a-chip systems for applications in point-of-care diagnostics and chemical synthesis.

At the submicron scale, electrohydrodynamic redox printing has been shown to fabricate multi-metal structures with chemical feature sizes below 400 nm. The process utilises focused ejection of metal ions from sacrificial anodes and on-the-fly switching between two metal feeds within a single multichannel nozzle. This direct, ink-free approach achieves spatial resolutions around 250 nm and voxel throughput of ten per second, enabling segmental control of composition and opening pathways to heterometallic micro-architectures for functional electronics and catalytic devices.

Research from all publishers

A practical high-speed scanning remelting technique for laser powder bed fusion of AlSi10Mg has demonstrated in-situ control of solidification microstructures and nano-precipitate formation. By re-melting each layer with optimised scanning parameters, researchers achieved tensile strengths approaching 500 MPa alongside elongations exceeding 20 %. This process outperforms conventional builds by simultaneously refining grains and dispersing strengthening phases, illustrating a route to high-performance aluminium components for aerospace and automotive applications.

Critical assessment of powder spreadability metrics has synthesised characterisation methods such as static and dynamic angle of repose, spread density analysis and layer homogeneity measurements. The review highlights the influence of environmental factors and recoater design on layer quality, proposes standardised protocols for spreadability testing and identifies correlations between powder morphology, flowability and resulting part porosity. These guidelines aim to improve feedstock selection and recoating strategies for powder-bed fusion and binder-jetting platforms.

Additive Manufacturing publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in additive manufacturing across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Additive Manufacturing (AM): A family of digitally driven, layer-wise fabrication processes that produce three-dimensional parts directly from computer models.

Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF): An AM technique in which a laser selectively melts successive layers of powdered metal under an inert atmosphere to build a solid object.

Photopolymerisation: A process in which liquid resins solidify upon exposure to light, typically ultraviolet, to form cured polymer layers in stereolithography.

Electrohydrodynamic Redox Printing (EHD-RP): A submicron additive process that ejects solvated metal ions under an electric field and reduces them upon landing to form direct-write metallic structures.

Powder Bed Spreading: The technique of depositing and levelling a uniform layer of powder across a build platform, critical for consistent fusion in powder-based AM.

References

1. Additive Manufacturing: Concepts and Technologies.
2. Open-source interactive design platform for 3D-printed microfluidic devices. Communications Engineering (2024).
3. Multi-metal electrohydrodynamic redox 3D printing at the submicron scale. Nature Communications (2019).
4. Achieving superior strength-plasticity performance in laser powder bed fusion of AlSi10Mg via high-speed scanning remelting. Materials Research Letters (2024).
5. Spreadability of powders for additive manufacturing: A critical review of metrics and characterisation methods. Particuology (2024).