Metal AM Technologies and Applications

Practical guide to WAAM, LPBF and WLAM:
What each process does well, and where it fits in production.

There is no single metal 3D printing process. Build size, detail, feedstock, material cost, surface finish and qualification requirements all matter. We help compare the options before recommending a path.

Aerospace, defence & space

Lightweight structures, tooling, repair and development hardware.

Applications

Start with the application, then choose the process.

Energy & hydro

Turbine components, cladding and wear-resistant repairs.

Tooling & moulds

Inserts, conformal cooling and production aids.

Oil, gas & mining

Durable wear parts and on-demand replacements.

Repair & MRO

Rebuild high-value components instead of scrapping them.

Research & education

Process development on production-grade systems.

Industrial automation & automotive

Custom tooling, EOAT, fixtures and consolidated parts.

Architecture &
public art

Large-format metal forms and custom structures.

Technologies

WLAM DED delivers wire or powder into a melt pool as energy is applied, building new features or adding material to existing parts. Wire-laser DED is useful for repair, cladding, hybrid manufacturing and medium-to-large near-net shapes.

Process: Wire-laser DED / laser metal deposition

Feedstock: Standard welding wire

Formats: Standalone system, robotic cell or CNC integration

Materials: Stainless steel, tool steel, titanium, nickel alloys and selected copper alloys

Best for: Medium-to-large parts, repair, cladding and low-to-mid-volume production

LMD

LPBF uses lasers to fuse thin layers of metal powder into dense, high-detail parts. It is best for internal channels, lattices, fine features and complex components where precision matters more than deposition rate.

Process: Laser powder bed fusion

Feedstock: Fine metal powder

Equipment path: OEM / partner-channel selection by application

Materials: Titanium, aluminum, stainless steel, tool steel and nickel superalloys

Best for: high-detail production parts, internal channels, lattices and high-value components

LPBF

WAAM uses a welding arc and metal wire to deposit large beads with a robot or gantry. It is fast, economical and suited to large near-net-shape components, with machining or finishing added where precision surfaces matter.

Process: Wire-arc additive manufacturing on a robotic arm or gantry