The future was plastics. In 3D printing, metal alloy material compositions and printing processes are a hotbed of research activity. Metals are now the fastest growing area of development of 3D materials and printing processes. Whereas plastics were the prototyping stage, metals are the material at the center of the industrialization of 3D printing. 

Metals With the Mettle for 3D Printing Applications 

3D printing is experimenting with the many steel grades used in traditional casting for their different chemical, physical, and environmental properties, but limitations are reached. Dozens of new metal material compositions are being developed for 3D printing. Aluminum, titanium alloys, tungsten, copper,  nickel, and alloy steel are being explored. Alloy Steel Fabrication is an innovative frontier due to the many properties that can be created through alloys, other metals, and elements. These include refractive materials used in X-ray scanners and other imaging devices. With the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of steel product and application design, 3D printing is being offered as a service for the rapid development of forging prototypes. In place of the traditional hammering and pressing process at different temperatures to achieve the desired mechanical properties, different alloy steel compositions are being explored with a way to stamp out forgings.

Innovation in 3D Printing Methods 

3D printing, however, is limited by the printer itself. The 3D industrial revolution is creating new 3D processing methods to overcome these challenges. The two main 3D production forms remain the powder bed fusion process and directed energy deposition using powders or metal wire. For the former process, the first ASTM standards were established for the 3D printing of stainless steel alloys in 2016 . Laser writing and electrochemical deposition techniques are promising new areas of development. Laser additive manufacturing processes using novel aluminum and steel alloys are producing ultra thin walls and other features previously not achievable through 3D printing. Various deposition and etching techniques are being applied to achieve higher levels of detail at smaller scales. One such approach is combining 3D printing with electrochemical machining (ECM). This process, for instance, is being used on engines made from many highly specialized components requiring high mechanical stress resistance.

In microfabrication, 3D printing is making tiny components for MEMS (microelectromechanical) systems. Among many uses spanning from medicine to optical networks, MEMS are being used as sensors in Internet of Things (IoT) applications. 3D printing packaging for MEMS is another application. 

Standards for the many new alloy steel fabrication methods and materials we see today will help harmonize their usage. The global market for 3D printing materials is forecasted to grow at a robust 17 percent compound annual rate to $7.3 billion over the next 10 years. While only a few years ago, plastics and polymers dominated 3D printing research, metals and metal alloys are the future of industrial-scale 3D printing.