Despite its rapid evolution, additive manufacturing still faces significant challenges: the quality of the parts produced, the lack of printing raw materials, thermal and surface post-processing and improved productivity. These challenges could be overcome with the coordinated and interdisciplinary help of different CSIC groups. These groups are already working through collaborations with universities and companies. Additive manufacturing requires in-depth knowledge (regardless of the material to be printed) that is very different and only when approached together can a satisfactory result be achieved for a particular application. Adequate design and manufacture of the starting material (whether metal alloy powder, polymeric filaments with particle reinforcements or graphite inks, etc.) is essential. Secondly, it is necessary to know the interaction of this material with the energy source and the parameters of the 3D printing process (be it for example, a laser, an extruder nozzle or a thermal fusion nozzle). In order to obtain a part with the appropriate mechanical properties, a thermal post-processing is then required to transform the initial microstructure of the part as it is printed into the appropriate microstructure, also eliminating possible defects, inhomogeneities or residual stresses. In many cases a surface post-processing is also necessary to improve the roughness, surface finish or corrosion resistance of the parts. Finally, the collaboration of experts in different fields (mechanical properties, fatigue, etc.) is necessary to analyse the results and feedback the design of the materials, processing parameters and post-treatments. This justifies the need for an interdisciplinary collaboration framework involving and coordinating research groups in different aspects of the additive manufacturing process, different technologies and different materials.
