Recent progress on additive manufacturing of multi-material structures with laser powder bed fusion

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing has been advancing in the fabrication of metallic multi-material structures with intricate structures and refined material layouts. Herein, a comprehensive review of the recent achievements of multi-material structures via LPBF is provided in terms of interface characteristics and strengthening methods, critical technical issues and potential applications. It begins with the introduction of multi-material structures and the scope of the review. The interface characteristics (including representative multi-material types printed by LPBF, interfacial microstructure, defects, etc.) and strengthening methods of multi-material structures are then presented. Thereafter, the critical technical issues in LPBF for multi-material structures are discussed with regard to equipment development, data preparation, thermodynamic calculation and process simulation, and powder cross-contamination and recycling. Moreover, the potential applications (particularly in biomedical, electronic, aerospace) are illustrated and discussed. Finally, the outlook is outlined to provide guidance for future research.

Automated summary

This article provides a comprehensive review of the recent achievements in multi-material structures fabricated via LPBF, including interface characteristics and strengthening methods, critical technical issues, and potential applications. The paper introduces the concept and scope of multi-material structures, presents the interface characteristics and strengthening methods, discusses the critical technical issues in LPBF, and illustrates the potential applications in various fields. Finally, an outlook is outlined for future research in this area.