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As an advanced manufacturing method, additive manufacturing (AM) technology provides new possibilities for efficient production and design of parts. However, with the continuous expansion of the application of AM materials, subtractive processing has become one of the necessary steps to improve the accuracy and performance of parts. In this paper, the processing process of AM materials is discussed in depth, and the surface integrity problem caused by it is discussed.

Firstly, we listed and analyzed the characterization parameters of metal surface integrity and its influence on the performance of parts and then introduced the application of integrated processing of metal adding and subtracting materials and the influence of different processing forms on the surface integrity of parts. The surface of the trial-cut material is detected and analyzed, and the surface of the integrated processing of adding and subtracting materials is compared with that of the pure processing of reducing materials, so that the corresponding conclusions are obtained.

In this process, we also found some surface integrity problems, such as knife marks, residual stress and thermal effects. These problems may have a potential negative impact on the performance of the final parts. In processing, we can try to use other integrated processing technologies of adding and subtracting materials, try to combine various integrated processing technologies of adding and subtracting materials, or consider exploring more efficient AM technology to improve processing efficiency. We can also consider adopting production process optimization measures to reduce the processing cost of adding and subtracting materials.

With the gradual improvement of the requirements for the surface quality of parts in the production process and the in-depth implementation of sustainable manufacturing, the demand for integrated processing of metal addition and subtraction materials is likely to continue to grow in the future. By deeply understanding and studying the problems of material reduction and surface integrity of AM materials, we can better meet the challenges in the manufacturing process and improve the quality and performance of parts. This research is very important for promoting the development of manufacturing technology and achieving success in practical application.

The purpose of the present work is to study the impacts of rapid cooling and Tb rare-earth additions on the structural, thermal and mechanical behavior of Bi–0.5Ag lead-free solder for high-temperature applications.

Effect of rapid solidification processing on structural, thermal and mechanical properties of Bi-Ag lead-free solder reinforced Tb rare-earth element.

The obtained results indicated that the microstructure consists of rhombohedral Bi-rich phase and Ag99.5Bi0.5 intermetallic compound (IMC). The addition of Tb could effectively reduce the onset and melting point. The elastic modulus of Tb-containing solders was enhanced to about 90% at 0.5 Tb. The higher elastic modulus may be attributed to solid solution strengthening effect, solubility extension, microstructure refinement and precipitation hardening of uniform distribution Ag99.5Bi0.5 IMC particles which can reasonably modify the microstructure, as well as inhibit the segregation and hinder the motion of dislocations.

It is recommended that the lead-free Bi-0.5Ag-0.5Tb solder be a candidate instead of common solder alloy (Sn-37Pb) for high temperature and high performance applications.

Mastic blankets for intricate profiles Winn & Coales (Denso) Ltd., Chapel Road, London SE27 OTR, have recently reformulated their Densyl mastic blankets, facilitating application over a wider range of temperatures with a new softer compound that moulds very readily to intricate profiles.

This study aims to summarize the effects of minor addition of Ho REE on the structure, mechanical strength and thermal stability of binary Sn- Ag solder alloys for high-performance applications.

This study investigates the effect of a small amount of holmium addition on the microstructure, thermal stability, mechanical behaviour and wettability of environmentally friendly eutectic melt-spun process Sn – Ag solder alloys. Dynamic resonance technique, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy were carried to study stiffness, identification of the phases and the morphology features of the solder. Structure and microstructure analysis indicated that presence of rhombohedral ß-Sn phase in addition to orthorhombic IMC Ag₃Sn phase dispersed in Sn-matrix. Also, the results showed that Ho rare earth addition at a small trace amount into Sn-Ag system reduces and improves the particle size of both rhombohedral ß-Sn and orthorhombic IMC Ag₃Sn based on the adsorption effect of the active RE element. The adsorption of Ho at grain boundaries resulted in Ag₃Sn more uniform needle-like which is distributed in the ß-Sn matrix. The fine and uniform microstructure leads to improvement of mechanical strength. The microstructure refinement is due to the high surface free energy of IMC Ag₃Sn grains, and it prevents the dislocation slipping. This maybe enhance the micro-hardness and micro-creep hence delays the breaking point of the solder. Ho (RE) trace addition could enhance the melting temperature and contact angle up to 215°C and 31°, Respectively, compared with plain solder. All results showed that Ho trace addition element has an effective method to enhance new solder joints.

Effect of rare earth element Ho particles on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of eutectic Sn-3.5Ag solder alloy was studied. Some important conclusions are summarized in the following: microstructure investigations revealed that the addition of Ho particles to eutectic Sn-3.5Ag inhibited in reducing and refines the crystallite size as well as the Ag3Sn IMC which reinforced the strength of plain solder alloy. The mechanical properties values such as Young’s modulus, Vickers microhardness of Sn-3.5Ag solder alloy can be significantly improved by adding a trace amount of Ho particles compared with plain solder due to the existence of finer and higher volume fraction of Ag3SnIMC. These variations can be understood by considering the plastic deformation. The strengthening mechanism of the Sn-3.5Ag-Ho solder alloy could be explained in terms of Ho harden particles and finer IMC, which are distributed within eutectic regions because they act as pinning centres which inhibited the mobility of dislocation that concentrated around the grain boundaries. The results show that the best creep resistance is obtained when the addition of Ho 0.5 is compared to plain solder. The addition of Ho on Sn-3.5Ag lead-free solder alloy decreases the melting temperature to few degrees.

Development of holmium-doped eutectic Sn-Ag lead-free solder for electronic packaging.

Successes in scaffold guided tissue engineering require scaffolds to have specific macroscopic geometries and internal architectures to provide the needed biological and biophysical functions. Freeform fabrication provides an effective process tool to manufacture many advanced scaffolds with designed properties. This paper reports our recent study on using a novel precision extruding deposition (PED) process technique to directly fabricate cellular poly‐ε_rm;‐caprolactone (PCL) scaffolds. Scaffolds with a controlled pore size of 250 μm and designed structural orientations were fabricated.

The purpose of this paper is to present the advantages of computer-aided design/rapid prototyping (CAD/RP) usage in designing and manufacturing of the core models used for precise casting with direct and single solidification of aircraft engine turbine blade cores.

The process of modelling three-dimensional CAD geometry of research blade in relation to the model of the core was presented with different wax types used in the RP technique.

The geometry of the blade model has been designed in a way which allows making a silicon mould on the basis of a base prototype in the process of rapid tooling (RP/RT). Filing by different wax types was investigated in mean of the impact on filling accuracy of the mould cavity.

The resulting models were used to make ceramic moulds and carry further work on the development of casting technology in the process of directional solidification and single crystal solidification of core blades of aircraft engines.

Understanding and tailoring the solidification characteristics and microstructure evolution in as-built parts fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is crucial as they influence the final properties. Experimental approaches to address this issue are time and capital-intensive. This study aims to develop an efficient numerical modeling approach to develop the process–structure (P-S) linkage for LPBF-processed Inconel 718.

In this study, a numerical approach based on the finite element method and cellular automata was used to model the multilayer, multitrack LPBF build for predicting the solidification characteristics (thermal gradient G and solidification rate R) and the average grain size. Validations from published experimental studies were also carried out to ensure the reliability of the proposed numerical approach. Furthermore, microstructure simulations were used to develop P-S linkage by evaluating the effects of key LPBF process parameters on G × R, G/R and average grain size. A solidification or G-R map was also developed to comprehend the P-S linkage.

It was concluded from the developed G-R map that low laser power and high scan speed will result in a finer microstructure due to an increase in G × R, but due to a decrease in G/R, columnar characteristics are also reduced. Moreover, increasing the layer thickness and decreasing the hatch spacing lowers the G × R, raises the G/R and generates a coarse columnar microstructure.

The proposed numerical modeling approach was used to parametrically investigate the effect of LPBF parameters on the resulting microstructure. A G-R map was also developed that enables the tailoring of the as-built LPBF microstructure through solidification characteristics by tuning the process parameters.

The use of a gas metal arc welding-based weld-deposition, referred to as wire-direct energy deposition or wire-arc additive manufacturing, is one of the notable additive manufacturing methods for producing metallic components at high deposition rates. In this method, the near-net shape is manufactured through layer-by-layer weld-deposition on a substrate. However, as a result of this sequential weld-deposition, different layers are subjected to different types of thermal cycles and partial re-melting. The resulting microstructural evolution of the material may not be uniform. Hence, the purpose of this study is to assess microstructure variation along with the lamination direction (or build direction).

The study was carried out for two different boundary conditions, namely, isolated condition and cooled condition. The microstructural evolution across the layers is hypothesized based on experimental assessment; this included microhardness, scanning electron microscopy imaging and electron backscatter diffraction analysis. These conditions subsequently collaborated with the help of thermal modeling of the process.

During a new layer deposition, the previous layer also is subject to re-melt. While the newly added layer undergoes rapid cooling through a combination of convection, conduction and radiation losses, the penultimate layer, sees a slower cooling curve due to its smaller exposure area. This behavior of rapid-solidification and subsequent re-melting and re-solidification is a progressing phenomenon across the layers and the bulk of the layers have uniform grains due to this remelt-re-solidification phenomenon.

This paper studies the microstructure variation along with the build direction for thin-walled components fabricated through weld-deposition. This study would be helpful in addressing the issue of anisotropy resulting from the distinctive thermal history of each layer in the overall theme of metal additive manufacturing.

The unique aspect of this paper is the postulation of a generic hypothesis, based on experimental findings and supported by thermal modeling of the process, for remelt-re-solidification phenomenon followed by temperature raising/lowering repetitively in every layer deposition across the layers. This is implemented for different types of base plate conditions, revealing the role of boundary conditions on the microstructure evolution.

The purpose of this paper is to review the state of the art of laser powder deposition (LPD), a solid freeform fabrication technique capable of fabricating fully dense functional items from a wide range of common engineering materials, such as aluminum alloys, steels, titanium alloys, nickel superalloys and refractory materials.

The main R&D efforts and the major issues related to LPD are revisited.

During recent years, a worldwide series of R&D efforts have been undertaken to develop and explore the capabilities of LPD and to tap into the possible cost and time savings and many potential applications that this technology offers.

These R&D efforts have produced a wealth of knowledge, the main points of which are highlighted herein.

This paper aims to understand the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) mechanism in the molten pool under different modes of magnetic field. The comparison focuses on the Lorenz force excitation and its effect on the melt flow and solidification parameters, intending to obtain practical references for the design of magnetic field-assisted laser directed energy deposition (L-DED) equipment.

A three-dimensional transient multi-physical model, coupled with MHD and thermodynamic, was established. The dimension and microstructure of the molten pool under a 0T magnetic field was used as a benchmark for accuracy verification. The interaction between the melt flow and the Lorenz force is compared under a static magnetic field in the X-, Y- and Z-directions, and also an oscillating and alternating magnetic field.

The numerical results indicate that the chaotic fluctuation of melt flow trends to stable under the magnetostatic field, while a periodically oscillating melt flow could be obtained by applying a nonstatic magnetic field. The Y and Z directional applied magnetostatic field shows the effective damping effect, while the two nonstatic magnetic fields discussed in this paper have almost the same effect on melt flow. Since the heat transfer inside the molten pool is dominated by convection, the application of a magnetic field has a limited effect on the temperature gradient and solidification rate at the solidification interface due to the convection mode of melt flow is still Marangoni convection.

This work provided a deeper understanding of the interaction mechanism between the magnetic field and melt flow inside the molten pool, and provided practical references for magnetic field-assisted L-DED equipment design.