Recent progress and perspectives in additive manufacturing of magnesium alloys

Magnesium alloys remain critical in the context of light-weighting and advanced devices. The increased utilisation of magnesium (Mg) each year reveals growing demand for its Mg-based alloys. Additive manufacturing (AM) provides the possibility to directly manufacture components in net-shape, providing new possibilities and applications for the use of Mg-alloys, and new prospects in the utilisation of novel physical structures made possible from '3D printing'. The review herein seeks to holistically explore the additive manufacturing of Mg-alloys to date, including a synopsis of processes used and properties measured (with a comparison to conventionally prepared Mg-alloys). The challenges and possibilities of AM Mg-alloys are critically elaborated for the field of mechanical metallurgy.(c) 2022 Chongqing University. Publishing services provided by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ) Peer review under responsibility of Chongqing University

Automated summary

Magnesium alloys play a critical role in lightweighting and advanced devices. Additive manufacturing offers new possibilities and applications for the use of magnesium alloys, allowing for the creation of novel physical structures through 3D printing. This review provides a comprehensive exploration of additive manufacturing of magnesium alloys, including the processes used and the measured properties, along with a critical elaboration of the challenges and possibilities in the field of mechanical metallurgy.