A new additive manufacturing process based on friction deposition

Additive manufacturing involves layer-by-layer fabrication of three-dimensional parts under computer control. The current study demonstrates a novel concept for additive manufacturing, in which material addition is achieved in solid-state through a process that can be termed as "friction deposition." The present work reports preliminary results on the proposed new approach. Individual layers up to a thickness of 1 to 2 mm can be added up successively by friction deposition. A solid cylinder of 20 mm dia and 50 mm height was successfully produced with austenitic stainless steel AISI 304. Microstructural studies and tensile tests were conducted to ascertain the quality of bonding between the layers. The results show that the proposed approach is indeed quite amenable for additive manufacturing and can lead to a viable commercial process. © 2011 Indian Institute of Metals.