Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing Technology: A Review

Additive manufacturing (AM) also known as three dimensional (3D) printing is an important advanced manufacturing method that will change the way machines and consumer good are made. This technology is where the human creativity meets technology. AM allows product to be fabricated from the 3D computer aided design (CAD) model of the part, no matter the complexity, through addition of materials one layer at a time until the building is completed. In this article, the seven classes of AM, the advantages in the additively manufactured products as compared to the existing counterparts are highlighted and some of the research efforts in this technology are presented. Some of the problems and the future research need in this field are also presented.