3D printing of metallic powders and foils

Manufacturing complex metal parts that combine different materials has long posed a significant challenge for 3D printing. When materials with vastly different properties are melted together, the interfaces between them often develop cracks due to high stresses and the formation of brittle phases. The '3D printing of multi-materials combining metallic powders with foils, and using beam shaping' project investigated combining metallic powders with metallic foils rather than mixing powders together. The hybrid multi-material additive manufacturing approach successfully reduced intermetallic formation and achieved crack-free interfaces between Ti-6Al-4V and Al-12Si, a particularly challenging material combination with a tendency to form brittle compounds.