Metal Additive manufacturing and defects

The main topic of the research group concerns the correlation between properties and microstructure of metal additive manufacturing (AM) components as well as the evaluation of the influence of defects, related to the process, on product performance. In fact, as a consequence of the layer-by-layer deposition characteristic of 3D printing, the alloy undergoes very rapid cooling and repeated thermal cycles with transformations in the solid and liquid-solid state that induce complex microstructures, not generally found in conventional production processes, and the formation of specific defects that require adequate understanding and evaluation. The systematic study of the heat treatment parameters is also addressed in order to identify the optimum conditions and thus overcome some limitations of the as-built conditions (e.g. anisotropy and high residual stresses). An additional topic is the study of hipping treatments, and innovative heat treatments performed under pressure. The group is involved in various research projects related to mechanical characterization (tensile, fatigue, toughness) but also to the study of the wear, cavitation and corrosion resistance of these materials, in order to provide useful data for various fields of application. The experience of the research group mainly concerns aluminum, titanium, cobalt alloys and steel, for both structural and biomedical applications. However, the skills and capabilities of the group's researchers in the various sectors of metallurgy and traditional production processes represent a solid background to face new studies also on other metallic materials. Finally, thanks to our participation in a national network involving various university research groups in the field of AM and of metallurgy in general, as well as international collaborations with foreign research centers as well as relations with many companies in the sector, the group of the University of Brescia is able to expand and deepen its research in cooperation with other entities with additional equipment and specific skills.