The course offers the student a basic knowledge of additive manufacturing technologies, design and materials 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 will cover the following topics: 1. Introduction to Additive manufacturing (AM) The philosophy of layer manufacturing and its economic justification; Classification of AM techniques; The economic reasons behind the diffusion of AM techniques; applications and future trends. 2. AM techniques and polymers for the production of components of polymeric components Introduction on polymers; consolidation and properties of polymers processed by AM; Vat photopolymerization process and polymers; material extrusion based AM processes and polymers ; powder bed AM processes (Selective laser sintering & Multi Jet Fusion) and polymers; consolidation and properties of polymers processed by AM 3. AM techniques and metals for the production of components of metal components Raw metallic materials for AM: powder production and characterisation, Powder Bed Fusion processes (selective laser melting, electron beam melting, etc.); Directed Energy Deposition (laser metal deposition, electron beam additive manufacturing, joule printing, etc.); Material Extrusion (atomic diffusion AM, bound metal deposition) and Binder Jetting. Microstructure and properties of aluminium alloys for AM; Microstructure and properties of steels for AM.Microstructure and properties of titanium for AM; Microstructure and properties of nickel alloys for AM; Microstructure and properties of Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) 4. Design for Additive Manufacturing Optimization of part design through numerical techniques (topology optimization and generative design); Part orientation and support structures; Manufacturing requirements and specifications 5. Integration with conventional processes for the finishing of metallic components produced by means of additive manufacturing. 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. In addition, lab activities will be proposed for powder characterisation, analysis of PSD flowability, porosity and cracks of bulk samples, and microstructural characterisation.

The subject is organized with lectures (40 hours) and training (20 hours). The lectures are held in the classroom at the Mirafiori Campus with the support of Powerpoint slides and videos about additive manufacturing processes. The training 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 LAIB. Morover, the training at the laboratories of the Departiment of Applied Science and Technology will focus on powder characterization and the analysis of the microstructure of different materials used in additive manufacturing processes.

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

Lecture slides;

Exam: Optional oral exam; Group project; Computer-based written test in class using POLITO platform;

The aim of the final exam is to verify the student’s knowledge about additive manufacturing processes, materials and design for. The final exam consists of three parts: 1) a written part with 12 multiple choice questions, aimed at the evaluation of student's knowledge about: a) AM processes and the advantages and drawbacks of each process; b) specific properties of materials produced by additive manufacturing technologies; c) characterization of powders for AM processes d) basic principles for the optimization of material design in additive manufacturing processes; e) the control of post-processing treatments for material optimization; f) the integration of AM technologies with conventional ones. The evaluation of the responses to the questions will assign a maximum of 12 points out of 30. 2) a discussion with evaluation of the technical report of the training 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 evaluation of the technical report will assign a maximum of 18 points out of 30 The sum of the scores obtained in each part of the exam defines the mark. 3) an optional oral exam, that can alter both in the positive and in the negative the mark obtained in the previous parts of the exam. Students can request the optional oral part only if the mark they obtained is at least 18/30. The duration of the oral exam is about 15 minutes. 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.