Review of Sinter-Based Additive Manufacturing (SBAM) - Status and Prospects

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is dominating Additive Manufacturing of metals in equipment manufacturers, research and applications. Since LPBF has still limitations in terms of geometries and materials as well as in productivity, sinter-based additive manufacturing (SBAM) processes such as Metal Binder Jetting (MBJ) or Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) are becoming increasingly important. Furthermore, new processes such as MoldJet (MJ) or Lithography-based Metal Manufacturing (LMM) continue to enter the market and attract widespread attention due to their promising properties. At the same time, it is becoming apparent that there is still a need for intensive development in accompanying processes such as heat treatment and sinter simulation. In this review, the status of the most important sinter-based processes is highlighted and compared with LPBF. In addition, this paper outlines future development trends and the market potential of the various SBAM processes.