Compositionally graded metals: A new frontier of additive manufacturing

The current work provides an overview of the state-of-the-art in polymer and metal additive manufacturing and provides a progress report on the science and technology behind gradient metal alloys produced through laser deposition. The research discusses a road map for creating gradient metals using additive manufacturing, demonstrates basic science results obtainable through the methodology, shows examples of prototype gradient hardware, and suggests that Compositionally Graded Metals is an emerging field of metallurgy research.