Tue, 03 March, 2026
We are launching a new Joint Industry Programme (JIP) project to assess the materials behaviour of additively manufactured (AM) parts for safety-critical applications.
AM has gained a great deal of industrial interest in recent years due to its ability to produce customised components with complex geometries. However, the AM manufacturing process can affect the final products in terms of their microstructure and, accordingly, their mechanical performance.
In order to realise the full benefits of the technology for a wider range of applications, there is a need to understand the material’s behaviour under complex loading such as fatigue.
This project aims to perform structural integrity assessment of materials produced via AM with a focus on the fracture and fatigue performance of additive manufactured steel, copper, nickel and titanium alloys. The AM processes to be investigated include direct energy deposition (DED), wire-arc direct energy deposition (DED), and laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF).
The work will begin with a literature survey and gap analysis on the works carried out so far, which will identify the main findings on the structural integrity of AM materials – with a focus on their fatigue and fracture performance. Subsequent phase(s) of the JIP will focus on testing of AM materials, based on the gaps identified, to provide more insight on the structural integrity of AM.
You can find out more about this project, including how you can get involved as a sponsor and be able to help drive the direction of the research and gain exclusive access to the results, here:
https://www.twi-global.com/what-we-do/research-and-technology/research-programmes/joint-industry-projects/structural-integrity-of-additive-manufactured-materials-1