Evolution of Additive Manufacturing Processes: From the Background to Hybrid Printers

Abstract

The Additive Manufacturing (AM) field is revolutionizing the industrial sector in different areas such as automotive, aeronautics, medicine, etc. Many patents aboutAMprocesseswere granted at the end of the XXth century. However, until their release, the use ofAMwas very limited, mainly because of the high cost of the equipment. From that moment on, many 3D printing technologies started to bloom and, along with it, the commercialization of new3D printers, including hybrid 3D printers. They are defined as a combination of AM and subtractive technologies within the same machine, but also as a merge of different AM technologies. With all this in mind, the present chapter first presents an overviewof the differentAMtechnologies, as well as the history of AM, including recent advances. Then, the description of the possible future trends with the use of hybrid 3D printers is discussed.