The aim of the subject is to offer the student a basic knowledge of additive manufacturing technologies and materials and the relative application fields, while developing their ability to define the most suitable selection strategies on the basis of the product, of the material and of the production volume. The student will also be able to integrate AM techniques with conventional ones in order to maximize the advantages, in terms of reduction of costs and time to market. At the end of the semester, the student will be asked to: 1. Have knowledge of the AM systems available on the market, the materials associated with each technique, as well as the advantages and the drawbacks of their use; 2. Identify the most suitable AM technique to obtain a reduction in the product/process development times and costs on the basis of the typology of the product; 3. Integrate AM technologies with conventional ones; 4. Apply AM techniques to practical cases: from the conceptual model to the final production; 5. Have knowledge of specific properties of materials produced by additive manufacturing technologies; 6. Understanding of basic principles to optimize material design in additive manufacturing processes; 7. Have knowledge of strategies for optimization of mechanical properties and selection of the best material/technology choice on the basis of the final component; 8. Have knowledge of mechanisms able to control post-processing treatments for material optimization.

The student who follows the subject should have knowledge of industrial technical drawing, CAD 3D modeling techniques, and conventional manufacturing processes. The student is required to have a basic knowledge of Chemistry, Physics, Material Science and Technology, Technology of Metallic Materials.

Lectures (39 h) 1. Introduction to Additive manufacturing (AM) (3 h) • The philosophy of layer manufacturing and its economic justification; • Integration with 3D CAD systems; • Classification of AM techniques; • The economic reasons behind the diffusion of AM techniques. 2. AM techniques for the production of components of polymeric materials (4.5 h) • • Stereolithography; • Polyjet/Project processes; • Direct light projection; • Drop on Demand; • Fused Deposition Modeling; • 3D Printing; • Selective laser sintering; • Continuous Filament Fabrication; • Multi Jet Fusion; • ISO G-code programming of an open 3D printer. 3. AM techniques earmarked for the production of components of metallic materials (4.5 h) • Powder bed processes (selective laser melting, electron beam melting, etc.); • Directed energy deposition (laser engineered net shaping, electron beam additive manufacturing, etc.). 4. Design for Additive Manufacturing (9 h) • Optimization of part design through Topology Optimization; • Part orientation and supporting; • Manufacturing requirements and specifications; • Integration with conventional processes for the finishing of metallic components produced by means of additive manufacturing. 5. Materials for Additive Manufacturing (18 h) • thermoset and thermoplastic polymeric materials, and their composites; • advanced metallic materials and their composites; • ceramic materials and their composites; • functional materials. For each of the above-mentioned material types, the following aspects will be analyzed: • Starting materials production; • Process effect on material characteristics; • Microstructures and properties of the produced parts; • Criteria for optimization of design parameters; • Capability of starting materials recycle and reuse in view of an LCA analysis of the process. Training (21 h) The training is carried out at the "RMLab" laboratory at the Department of Management and Production Engineering. The training will focus on the Design for Additive Manufacturing (DFAM) approach that will be applied for the definition of the shape of components in polymeric/metallic materials. One replica of the components will be fabricated by the Additive Manufacturing systems already available at the Additive Manufacturing Interdepartmental Center of the Politecnico di Torino (IAM@POLITO – http://iam.polito.it). As concerns to the materials for additive manufacturing, the training will be aimed at the presentation of testing equipment and procedures for material characterization. Moreover, the microstructures of different materials for additive manufacturing will be analysed.

The subject is organized with lectures (39 hours) and training (21 hours). The lectures are held in the classroom at the Main Campus with the support of Powerpoint slides and videos about additive manufacturing processes. The training at the RMLab laboratory is about the application of the Design for Additive Manufacturing (DFAM) approach for the definition of the shape of components in polymeric/metallic materials. Training is aimed at developing a technical project in small groups and at preparing a technical report that will be evaluated during the final exam. The training promotes teamworking for the development of a technical project in a similar way to a real work environment. The training requires the use of the personal computers that are located at the RMLab laboratory. The training at the laboratory of the Department of Applied Science and Technology will focus on the analysis of the microstructures of different materials for additive manufacturing.

PowerPoint slides presented during the lectures and technical papers will be provided to the students on the subject website. The following book is suggested as a basic reference for additional readings, but not strictly required: I. Gibson, D.W. Rosen, B. Stucker, "Additive Manufacturing Technologies", Springer.

Exam: Written test; Group essay;

The aim of the final exam is to verify the student’s knowledge about additive manufacturing processes and materials. The final exam is composed of two parts: - a written exam about the topics covered during the lectures; - a discussion with evaluation of the technical report of the training. For the onsite exam it is required that the student brings their pc to the assigned room. The exam consists of 9 multiple-choice questions and 9 open questions and it is closed books and closed slides or notes. The multiple-choice questions are composed of three alternatives and only one right answer. A maximum of 9 points are assigned for the multiple-choice questions and no penalization (negative points) is attributed for a missing or wrong answer. The duration of the written exam is about 1 hour and a half. The written exam is aimed at the evaluation of student's knowledge about: 1) AM systems available on the market and the advantages and drawbacks of each technique; 2) specific properties of materials produced by additive manufacturing technologies; 3) basic principles for the optimization of material design in additive manufacturing processes; 4) the control of post-processing treatments for material optimization; 5) the integration of AM technologies with conventional ones; The technical report about the project that was developed in group during the training must be delivered at least a week before the beginning of the exam session. The technical report is aimed at the evaluation of student expertise through team working in the adoption of topology optimization and the application of Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) guidelines for design and manufacturing of metallic and polymeric components. The written exam contributes to the definition of the final grade for a maximum of 27 points out of 30. The grade is integrated by the evaluation of the technical report for a maximum of 3 additional points. In case of maximum grade (30 over 30), the honor is attributed at the discretion of the professor.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.