Enclosed report is a first step in creating a roadmap for the field of research and innovation to promote the industrialization of additive manufacturing (AM) of metals in Sweden. The creation of this roadmap is initiated by the strategic innovation program for Metallic Materials, in collaboration with Vinnova. In this report the focus is on the worldwide state of the art for metal AM, with a particular focus on how the situation looks in Sweden. The report has a focus on Swedish activities and the areas of strength in Swedish industries. Swedish areas of excellence include, for example, materials and powder, manufacturing and automation, design and digitalization.
This report includes an overall exploration into the state of the art for various fields of metal AM. It has been found that the adoption of metal AM in Sweden, over the last few years, has gained acceptance, and that numerous universities and institutes are active in the field. Creation of arenas and collaborations has also helped to grow the use of metal AM. Areas such as aerospace, medical devices, energy and engineering industry segments have been explored to find the challenges and drivers for the full potential use of industrial AM.
It has been identified that industrialization of AM is progressing fast, and that numerous fields have full serial production using AM today. Common challenges have been found to be:
– Lack of sufficient competence
– Lack of standards and certifications routes
– Lack of available materials
– Process robustness
– Productivity & cost
Based on these challenges, the subsequent focus of this road-mapping work will be to take inspiration in these challenges and identify how Swedish industry relates to these. The focus will be on research questions and challenges for Swedish enterprises and organizations that will demonstrate the benefits of using AM and speed up industrialization of metal AM in Sweden.