Accelerating Materials and Process Development in Additive Manufacturing

In recent years, additive manufacturing (AM) of metallic materials has expanded beyond standard structural materials to include functional materials and metamaterials, capitalising on their intriguing potential. However, the adoption of AM requires significant time to develop new materials, process parameters, and post-processing routes to meet performance requirements. This presentation will showcase the tools developed and explored by the Advanced Materials & Processing Laboratory (AMPLab). It will emphasise the use of physics-inspired optimisation with artificial intelligence and microstructural control to expedite metal AM development and maximise performance benefits. Additionally, the presentation will highlight case studies involving both structural and functional metallic materials that the AMPLab has worked on over the years.

Professor Moataz Attallah holds a chair in advanced materials processing at the School of Metallurgy and Materials University of Birmingham, where he leads the Advanced Materials & Processing Lab (AMPLab). His research focuses on metallic materials processing, with an emphasis on laser-based additive manufacturing, AM post-processing strategies, and novel applications of metal AM in the aerospace, nuclear, defence, motor racing, space, and telecommunications sectors. He sits on the advisory board and provides consultancy to companies and universities in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia. He co-authored over 200 scientific reports and 3 book chapters, as well as being a co-inventor on 5 granted patents.