CAM² coordinates core competencies in powder metallurgy, materials engineering, process development and product design for the development of materials and processes for additive manufacturing. By using powder metallurgy science, advanced materials characterization, process development and simulation the centre covers the whole chain of powder-based additive manufacturing:

• CAD Design
• Powder
• Characterisation and Simulation
• Prototypes
• Fabrication
• Post-manufacturing treatment

We act in seven research areas

Read more about the research areas, what we do and why. Find out which partners are involved and who is responsible for each area.​

• ​Design for additive manufacturing
• Material behaviour and design for additive manufacturing components
• Robust powder for additive manufacturing
• New materials development for additive manufacturing
• Productivity in additive manufacturing by process and geometry simulation
• Quality assurance and control in additive manufacturing
• Optimization of the additive manufacturing components properties by post-manufacturing treatment​

Design for additive manufacturing

We establish basic criteria for choosing powder bed metal additive manufacturing (AM). By understanding interlink between material properties and process parameters, we develop design preparation guidelines with focus on increased productivity with improved component properties (performance, surface quality, for example).

Material behaviour and design of additive manufacturing components

We characterize the mechanical properties of a selected number of alloys with respect to anisotropy, build thickness and surface roughness. We develop constitutive and life models for use in design and topology optimization. We extend topology optimization to include AM specific properties with respect to anisotropy, residual stresses and grid-like structures.​

Robust powder for additive manufacturing

We develop a robust metal powder for additive manufacturing through tailoring of the properties of the powder and alloy design, in synergy with the additive manufacturing process itself.

New materials development for additive manufacturing

We exploit possibilities to manufacture novel materials with net-shape complex 3D geometries using powder-based additive manufacturing.

Productivity in additive manufacturing by process and geometry simulation

We develop novel methods, algorithms and software tools for planning of efficient motions, detailed multiphysics simulation and geometry assurance of the additive manufacturing process.

Quality assurance and control in AM

We develop process monitoring systems and improve process robustness utilizing state-of-the-art in-situ monitoring and control systems in powder bed fusion – laser beam (PBF-LB) with special focus on Optical Tomography (OT), Melt Pool Monitoring (MPM) and process gas monitoring systems. We utilize in-situ monitoring systems to increase AM process stability, repeatability and reproducibility.

Optimization of the AM components properties by post-manufacturing treatment

We want to establish a design and simulation platform for selection of the optimized post-treatment procedure in dependence on material/alloy and AM technique applied. This includes mapping of different post-treatment techniques for different types of alloys, establishment of their effect on the material performance as well as cost-effectiveness.

SUSTAIN – a Swedish Initiative for Sustainability in Additive Manufacturing

​The Swedish Initiative for Sustainability in AM was initiated in 2022 by the director of the Competence Centre in Additive Manufacturing for the Life Sciences (AM4Life, Prof. Persson), together with the directors of the Competence Centre in AM for metals (CAM², Profs. Hryha and Nyborg), Chalmers University of Technology, and fellow researchers at Linköping University, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Lund University.

Partners

In the competence centre of CAM², universities, research institutes, companies and public actors will conduct research in close cooperation within the area of additive manufacturing of metal. The centre offers the most complete state-of-the-art infrastructure in Sweden.

The consortium gathers industrial know-how in:

• Powder development
• Hardware: Powder Bed Fusion – Laser Beam (PBF-LB), Powder Bed Fusion – Electron Beam (PBF-EB), Binder Jetting (BJT) and powder-based Directed Energy Deposition (DED)
• High-end manufacturing by additive manufacturing
• Post-processing