This book covers the basics of lasers, optics and materials used for manufacturing and 3D printing. It includes several case studies for readers to apply their understanding of the topics, provide sufficient theoretical background and insights to today's key laser-assisted AM processes and conclude with the future prospects of this exciting technology.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advances in laser techniques for micro-nano-manufacturing and an in-depth analysis of applications, such as 3D printing and nanojoining. Lasers have gained increasing significance as a precise tool for advanced manufacturing. Written by world leading scientists, the first part of the book presents the fundamentals of laser interaction with materials at the micro- and nanoscale, including multiphoton excitation and nonthermal melting, and allows readers to better understand advanced processing. In the second part, the authors focus on various advanced fabrications, such as laser peening, surface nanoengineering, and plasmonic heating. Finally, case studies are devoted to special applications, such as 3D printing, microfluidics devices, energy devices, and plasmonic and photonic waveguides. This book integrates both theoretical and experimental analysis. The combination of tutorial chapters and concentrated case studies will be critically attractive to undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and engineers in the relevant fields. Readers will grasp the full picture of the application of laser for micro-nanomanufacturing and 3D printing.

Laser Additive Manufacturing: Materials, Design, Technologies, and Applications provides the latest information on this highly efficient method of layer-based manufacturing using metals, plastics, or composite materials. The technology is particularly suitable for the production of complex components with high precision for a range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, and medical engineering. This book provides a comprehensive review of the technology and its range of applications. Part One looks at materials suitable for laser AM processes, with Part Two discussing design strategies for AM. Parts Three and Four review the most widely-used AM technique, powder bed fusion (PBF) and discuss other AM techniques, such as directed energy deposition, sheet lamination, jetting techniques, extrusion techniques, and vat photopolymerization. The final section explores the range of applications of laser AM. - Provides a comprehensive one-volume overview of advances in laser additive manufacturing - Presents detailed coverage of the latest techniques used for laser additive manufacturing - Reviews both established and emerging areas of application

Additive Manufacturing (AM), popularly known as 3D printing, is playing an increasingly significant role in the manufacturing arena. AM has revolutionized how prototypes are to be made and small batch manufacturing should be carried out. Due to high flexibility and high efficiency of lasers, laser-assisted Manufacturing (LAM) and AM technologies are recently getting much attention over traditional methods.This textbook is a timely information resource for undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers who are interested in this emerging technology. The book will cover the basics of lasers, optics and materials used for manufacturing and 3D printing. It will also include several case studies for readers to apply their understanding of the topics, provide sufficient theoretical background and insights to today's key laser-assisted AM processes and conclude with the future prospects of this exciting technology.This is the first textbook tailored specifically for Lasers in 3D Printing and Manufacturing with detailed explanations. The book will focus on laser-assisted 3D printing and Additive Manufacturing (AM) from basic principles of lasers, optics and AM materials to advanced AM technologies, including in-depth discussion on critical aspects throughout the laser-assisted AM processes, such as optical system design, laser-material interaction and laser parameters' optimization.

3D printing has rapidly established itself as an essential enabling technology within research and industrial chemistry laboratories. Since the early 2000s, when the first research papers applying this technique began to emerge, the uptake by the chemistry community has been both diverse and extraordinary, and there is little doubt that this fascinating technology will continue to have a major impact upon the chemical sciences going forward. This book provides a timely and extensive review of the reported applications of 3D Printing techniques across all fields of chemical science. Describing, comparing, and contrasting the capabilities of all the current 3D printing technologies, this book provides both background information and reader inspiration, to enable users to fully exploit this developing technology further to advance their research, materials and products. It will be of interest across the chemical sciences in research and industrial laboratories, for chemists and engineers alike, as well as the wider science community.

Additive manufacturing (AM) of metals and composites using laser energy, direct energy deposition, electron beam methods, and wire arc melting have recently gained importance due to their advantages in fabricating the complex structure. Today, it has become possible to reliably manufacture dense parts with certain AM processes for many materials, including steels, aluminum and titanium alloys, superalloys, metal-based composites, and ceramic matrix composites. In the near future, the AM material variety will most likely grow further, with high-performance materials such as intermetallic compounds and high entropy alloys already under investigation. Additive Manufacturing Applications for Metals and Composites is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on advancing methods and technological developments within additive manufacturing practices. Special attention is paid to the material design of additive manufacturing of parts, the choice of feedstock materials, the metallurgical behavior and synthesis principle during the manufacturing process, and the resulted microstructures and properties, as well as the relationship between these factors. While highlighting topics such as numerical modeling, intermetallic compounds, and statistical techniques, this publication is ideally designed for students, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, technologists, academicians, practitioners, scholars, and educators.

Laser cladding is an additive manufacturing technology capable of producing coatings due to the surface fusion of metals. The selected powder is fed into a focused laser beam to be melted and deposited as coating. This allows to apply material in a selected way onto those required sections of complex components. The process main properties are the production of a perfect metallurgically bonded and fully dense coatings; the minimal heat affected zone and low dilution between the substrate and filler material resulting in functional coatings that perform at reduced thickness, so fewer layers are applied; fine, homogeneous microstructure resulting from the rapid solidification rate that promotes wear resistance of carbide coatings; near net-shape weld build-up requires little finishing effort; extended weldability of sensitive materials like carbon-rich steels or nickel-based superalloys that are difficult or even impossible to weld using conventional welding processes; post-weld heat treatment is often eliminated as the small heat affected zone minimizes component stress; excellent process stability and reproducibility because it is numerical controlled welding process. The typical applications are the dimensional restoration; the wear and corrosion protection; additive manufacturing. The wide range of materials that can be deposited and its suitability for treating small areas make laser cladding particularly appropriate to tailor surface properties to local service requirements and it opens up a new perspective for surface engineered materials. The main key aspect to be scientifically and technologically explored are the type of laser; the powders properties; the processing parameters; the consequent microstructural and mechanical properties of the processed material; the capability of fabrication of prototypes to rapid tooling and rapid manufacturing. Distills critical concepts, methods, and applications from leading full-length chapters, along with the authors’s own deep understanding of the material taught, into a concise yet rigorous graduate and advanced undergraduate text; Reinforces concepts covered with detailed solutions to illuminating and challenging industrial applications; Discusses current and future applications of laser cladding in additive manufacturing.

METAL ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING A comprehensive review of additive manufacturing processes for metallic structures Additive Manufacturing (AM)—also commonly referred to as 3D printing—builds three-dimensional objects by adding materials layer by layer. Recent years have seen unprecedented investment in additive manufacturing research and development by governments and corporations worldwide. This technology has the potential to replace many conventional manufacturing processes, enable the development of new industry practices, and transform the entire manufacturing enterprise. Metal Additive Manufacturing provides an up-to-date review of all essential physics of metal additive manufacturing techniques with emphasis on both laser-based and non-laser-based additive manufacturing processes. This comprehensive volume covers fundamental processes and equipment, governing physics and modelling, design and topology optimization, and more. The text adresses introductory, intermediate, and advanced topics ranging from basic additive manufacturing process classification to practical and material design aspects of additive manufacturability. Written by a panel of expert authors in the field, this authoritative resource: Provides a thorough analysis of AM processes and their theoretical foundations Explains the classification, advantages, and applications of AM processes Describes the equipment required for different AM processes for metallic structures, including laser technologies, positioning devices, feeder and spreader mechanisms, and CAD software Discusses the opportunities, challenges, and current and emerging trends within the field Covers practical considerations, including design for AM, safety, quality assurance, automation, and real-time control of AM processes Includes illustrative cases studies and numerous figures and tables Featuring material drawn from the lead author’s research and professional experience on laser additive manufacturing, Metal Additive Manufacturing is an important source for manufacturing professionals, research and development engineers in the additive industry, and students and researchers involved in mechanical, mechatronics, automatic control, and materials engineering and science.

This engaging volume presents the exciting new technology of additive manufacturing (AM) of metal objects for a broad audience of academic and industry researchers, manufacturing professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, hobbyists, and artists. Innovative applications ranging from rocket nozzles to custom jewelry to medical implants illustrate a new world of freedom in design and fabrication, creating objects otherwise not possible by conventional means. The author describes the various methods and advanced metals used to create high value components, enabling readers to choose which process is best for them. Of particular interest is how harnessing the power of lasers, electron beams, and electric arcs, as directed by advanced computer models, robots, and 3D printing systems, can create otherwise unattainable objects. A timeline depicting the evolution of metalworking, accelerated by the computer and information age, ties AM metal technology to the rapid evolution of global technology trends. Charts, diagrams, and illustrations complement the text to describe the diverse set of technologies brought together in the AM processing of metal. Extensive listing of terms, definitions, and acronyms provides the reader with a quick reference guide to the language of AM metal processing. The book directs the reader to a wealth of internet sites providing further reading and resources, such as vendors and service providers, to jump start those interested in taking the first steps to establishing AM metal capability on whatever scale. The appendix provides hands-on example exercises for those ready to engage in experiential self-directed learning.

This book presents recent advances in the design, fabrication and implementation of flexible printed sensors. It explores a range of materials for developing the electrode and substrate parts of the sensors, on the basis of their electrical and mechanical characteristics. The sensors were processed using laser cutting and 3D printing techniques, and the sensors developed were employed in a number of healthcare, environmental and industrial applications, including: monitoring of physiological movements, respiration, salinity and nitrate measurement, and tactile sensing. The type of sensor selected for each application depended on its dimensions, robustness and sensitivity. The sensors fabricated were also embedded in an IoT-based system, allowing them to be integrated into real-time applications.