LAUSR

Additive Manufacturing allows the straightforward and customized production of complex 3D structures and components by a layerwise deposition of materials without the demand for special tools or molds. Along with subtractive manufacturing techniques such as milling or lathing and “formative manufacturing” such as casting or forging, “additive manufacturing” is considered as the third pillar of overall manufacturing technology. In 1984, Chuck Hull developed stereolithography, the first additive process for polymers, which was commercialized a few years later. Subsequently, other techniques such as 3D inkjet printing, powder melting and fused deposition modelling were developed, which were initially used for the low-cost production of prototypes. Through continuous improvement of machines and materials, these processes are increasingly being applied in industrial manufacturing processes for functional components. However, there are still limitations with regard to the production speed and the building sizes of these methods as well as the surface and material quality of the printed objects. This explains the strong research efforts in the field of Additive Manufacturing at research institutions worldwide and at the Montanuniversität Leoben. Since many decades, theMontanuniversität Leoben is known as an internationally recognized center of excellence for materials science and engineering. The research of materials for Additive Manufacturing is a major focus in Leoben and is strongly driven by a large number of worldwide co-operations with numerous universities, research institutes and industrial partners. The basis for these activities is provided by materials-related study programs (materials science, metallurgy and polymer engineering) with more than 1500 students. In both education and research all material classes for Additive Manufacturing are covered including metals and their alloys, composites, ceramics as well as polymers. Associated to the Montanuniversität, there are several non-university materials-related institutions, e.g. the Erich Schmid Institute of Materials Science of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, dealing with cross-scale basic research on modern high-performance materials for determining their mechanical and functional properties, also in order to be able to estimate the corresponding usability of the materials, as well as the Materials Center Leoben, the Polymer Competence Center Leoben, and the Laser Center Leoben of Joanneum Research, all dealing with applied materials research and representing a bridge between the Montanuniversität and industry. Selected research examples in the field of Additive Manufacturing of metallic materials were recently presented in the special section “Additive Manufacturing at the University of Leoben” published in Advanced Engineering Materials. This special issue addresses a variety of different aspects related to Additive Manufacturing of different classes of materials, including their in-depth structure and property characterization, thereby providing a snapshot of the ongoing activities in Leoben spanning all the way from processing-structure-property correlations on additively manufacturing high performance materials to exploiting them for possible industrial applications.