A Review of Metal Fabricated with Laser- and Powder-Bed Based Additive Manufacturing Techniques: Process, Nomenclature, Materials, Achievable Properties, and its Utilization in the Medical Sector

Additive manufacturing has multiple advantages over conventional fabrication techniques, such as the geometrical freedom and, to a great extent, the omission of tooling equipment. Hence, futuristic designs and non-standard topology-optimized structures can be fabricated without causing noteworthy extra cost, since the geometrical complexity is, exaggeratedly spoken, for free. The manufacturing time and the amount of required raw material are the key criteria, which determine the expenses. What at first glance appears as an engineer's dream, introduces its complexity in the description of the material's characteristics and their volatility to the manufacturing conditions. Within this study, the main properties (i.e., surface hardness, tensile, and compression strength, as well as fracture toughness) and their anisotropic and inhomogeneous nature are addressed. Detailed overviews of the progress to date for aluminum, iron, titanium, cobalt, and nickel based raw materials are provided. Furthermore, an overview about the state-of-the-art in the medical sector is included, comprising the areas of utilization and several trail studies.