Technology scale-up in metal additive manufacture: from a coupon to a product

Scaling-up Metal Additive Manufacture (AM), especially using the direct energy deposition methods, faces a number of challenges when moving from the ‘coupon ‘stage to a large-scale (>1 m) product. This talk addresses the challenges that were experienced during a laboratory-based scale-up process, including the transferability of parameters from the coupon stage to the product stage, as well as the management of distortion, structural defects (e.g. lack of fusion, porosity, etc…), and microstructural inhomogeneities that form due to the process. Post-processing using hot isostatic pressing was explored, and was found to improve the structural integrity of the builds, yet at an extra cost to the process. The talk also highlights the utility of in-situ process monitoring and rapid finite element simulations, in order to generate a ‘first-time right’ process sequence for AM products.