Metal 3D Printing & Additive Manufacturing

While metal AM provides a host of positive advantages, it’s important to understand the realities of as-printed surface roughness. This understanding will help valve design and engineering teams understand the costs associated with bringing 3D printed parts to a suitable finish.

While metal AM brings with it a host of positive advantages, it’s important to understand the realities of as-printed surface roughness. This understanding will help design/engineering teams understand the costs associated with bringing 3D printed parts to a suitable finish.

Metal additive manufacturing is quickly making a name for itself as an up-and-coming manufacturing technology. The shift in transitioning from traditional manufacturing to metal 3D printing is being driven by a variety of advantages, including product-development flexibility and the ability to produce parts so complex they’d be impossible using conventional methods. While these positives are significant, there’s one area in which metal AM has historically struggled relative to other techniques: surface finish.