| Abstract Scope |
The number of different aluminum alloys available for AM is still rather limited. The main reason is that the strongest Al alloys, which strengthen by precipitation hardening, contain highly volatile elements such as Zn, Mg, etc. leading to turbulent pools, pores and low mechanical properties. In the first part, this talk will review the current state-of-the-art of the Al alloys for AM. The second part will present the latest research on developing innovative aluminum alloy specifically designed for SLM. Two different approaches will be presented: on one hand, on tailoring the chemical composition to improve processability, specifically crack susceptibility of wrought aluminum alloys of the 7xxx series (Al-Zn alloys), and on the other, to increase the mechanical resistance of weldable casting grade AlSi10Mg alloy. It will be shown how the desirable compositions can be achieved and the main challenges faced. |