Introduction to Precision Metal Additive Manufacturing

Whilst additive manufacturing has been getting much attention recently, it is still not considered a “precision process”. Ultimately, the goal of precision engineering is to create a process for which the outcomes are deterministic and controllable over a range of operation, with unpredictable deviations from a desired result being as small as is physically and economically possible. This book outlines how the principles of precision engineering can be applied to metal additive manufacturing to improve issues such as manufacturing yield, part functionality, process sustainability and ultimately cost effectiveness. The chapter will briefly describe the state of play with additive manufacturing, give some terminology to be used throughout the book and outline the background principles of precision engineering.