Binder jet 3D-printing for metal additive manufacturing: Applications and innovative approaches

Binder Jet 3D-Printing is widely used to print sand molds for castings or to generate complex ceramic parts, but is less known as a Metal Additive Manufacturing technology. Instead of melting the material, as it is done in Selective Laser Melting (SLM) or Electron Beam Melting (EBM), the metal powders are selectively joined by an adhesive ink and afterwards either directly sintered to full density or partially sintered and infiltrated. These two process routes offer a wide choice of materials and huge flexibility in attainable properties. This article provides an overview on the state of the art binder jetting process and shows examples for current possibilities and potential applications.