Metal Additive Manufacturing in Automotive Industry: A Review of Applications, Advantages, and Limitations

Abstract

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) technology is getting more interest and developing continuously in recent years due to its potential to revolutionize production processes in a variety of industries completely. The automotive industry is one of the most important industries where metal AM has shown great potential in the production of complex parts with high precision and shortened lead times. In this paper, current applications, advantages and limitations of metal AM for the automotive industry are analyzed by providing a comprehensive review. The paper examines the potential of metal AM for automotive applications, compares it to conventional manufacturing processes to determine its benefits, and identifies the significant drawbacks and difficulties. The review emphasizes how metal AM has the potential to transform the automobile sector by enabling producers to produce highly customized parts with enhanced performance properties, at lower costs, and with shorter lead times. However, currently, this technology is in its early stages and has several limitations such as limited material availabilities, high cost of equipment and materials, limited printing sizes, and need for several post-processings to get better results. To sum up, metal additive manufacturing technology has great adoption potential in the automotive industry, but further research and development are required to overcome its current limitations. Researchers and professionals in the industry seeking to comprehend the potential effects of metal AM on the automotive industry will benefit greatly from the findings of this study.