Additive manufacturing, which was first invented in France and then applied in the United States, is now 33 years old and represents a market of around 5 billion euros per year, with annual growth of between 20 and 30%. Today, additive manufacturing is experiencing a great amount of innovation in its processes, software, engineering and materials used. Its strength as a process has more recently allowed for the exploration of new niches, ranging from applications at nanometer and decameter scales, to others in mechanics and health. As a result, the limitations of the process have also begun to emerge, which include the quality of the tools, their cost of manufacture, the multi-material aspects, functionalities and surface conditions. Volume 2 of this series presents the current techniques, improvements and limits of additive manufacturing, providing an up-to-date review of this process.

Additive manufacturing, which was first invented in France and then applied in the United States, is now 33 years old and represents a market of around 5 billion euros per year, with annual growth of between 20 and 30%. Today, additive manufacturing is experiencing a great amount of innovation in its processes, software, engineering and materials used. Its strength as a process has more recently allowed for the exploration of new niches, ranging from applications at nanometer and decameter scales, to others in mechanics and health. As a result, the limitations of the process have also begun to emerge, which include the quality of the tools, their cost of manufacture, the multi-material aspects, functionalities and surface conditions. Volume 2 of this series presents the current techniques, improvements and limits of additive manufacturing, providing an up-to-date review of this process.

In 1984, additive manufacturing represented a new methodology for manipulating matter, consisting of harnessing materials and/or energy to create three-dimensional physical objects. Today, additive manufacturing technologies represent a market of around 5 billion euros per year, with an annual growth between 20 and 30%. Different processes, materials and dimensions (from nanometer to decameter) within additive manufacturing techniques have led to 70,000 publications on this topic and to several thousand patents with applications as wide-ranging as domestic uses. Volume 1 of this series of books presents these different technologies with illustrative industrial examples. In addition to the strengths of 3D methods, this book also covers their weaknesses and the developments envisaged in terms of incremental innovations to overcome them.

In 1984, additive manufacturing represented a new methodology for manipulating matter, consisting of harnessing materials and/or energy to create three-dimensional physical objects. Today, additive manufacturing technologies represent a market of around 5 billion euros per year, with an annual growth between 20 and 30%. Different processes, materials and dimensions (from nanometer to decameter) within additive manufacturing techniques have led to 70,000 publications on this topic and to several thousand patents with applications as wide-ranging as domestic uses. Volume 1 of this series of books presents these different technologies with illustrative industrial examples. In addition to the strengths of 3D methods, this book also covers their weaknesses and the developments envisaged in terms of incremental innovations to overcome them.

With a turnover of some 5-15 billion € / year, the additive manufacturing has industrial niches bearers thanks to processes and materials more and more optimized. While some niches still exist on the application of additive techniques in traditional fields (from jewelery to food for example), several trends emerge, using new concepts: collective production, realization of objects at once (without addition Of material), micro-fluidic, 4D printing exploiting programmable materials and materials, bio-printing, etc. There are both opportunities for new markets, promises not envisaged less than 10 years ago, but difficulties in reaching them.

Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technology: Principles and Applications consists of the construction and working details of all modern additive manufacturing and 3D-printing technology processes and machines, while also including the fundamentals, for a well-rounded educational experience. The book is written to help the reader understand the fundamentals of the systems. This book provides a selection of additive manufacturing techniques suitable for near-term application with enough technical background to understand the domain, its applicability, and to consider variations to suit technical and organizational constraints. It highlights new innovative 3D-printing systems, presents a view of 4D printing, and promotes a vision of additive manufacturing and applications toward modern manufacturing engineering practices. With the block diagrams, self-explanatory figures, chapter exercises, and photographs of lab-developed prototypes, along with case studies, this new textbook will be useful to students studying courses in Mechanical, Production, Design, Mechatronics, and Electrical Engineering.