Geometric Benchmarking of Metal Material Extrusion Technology: A Preliminary Study

Metal additive manufacturing technologies such as powder bed fusion (PBF) and direct energy deposition (DED) are experiencing fast development, due to the growing awareness of industries. However, high energy consumption, slow production processes, and high costs of both machines and feedstocks hamper their competitiveness, compared to conventional manufacturing techniques. Metal material extrusion (metal-MEX) can represent a cost- and energy-effective alternative for metal additive manufacturing. This article aims to assess the potential of such technology by addressing uncertainties related to product design and process stability through a preliminary geometric benchmarking study. The geometric tolerances and minimum achievable sizes of some simple geometries produced in 316L stainless steel were evaluated using geometric benchmark test artifacts (GBTAs). Process maps were also proposed to forecast the feasibility of achieving acceptable values of the investigated tolerances, based on the nominal dimensions of the features.