Metal AM goes to the wire

From lasers and powder beds to robots and welding wire, if it’s metal and additively manufactured then Distinguished Professor Milan Brandt has probably examined it. Here, the AMCRC Research Program 2 Lead shares his observations from decades of work with industry and explains why the conversation around additive manufacturing has moved beyond the technology itself.

Distinguished Professor Milan Brandt has been a leading figure in additive manufacturing research in Australia for decades, particularly in laser processing and metal-based technologies. But while additive manufacturing has advanced significantly, he believes the industry’s focus has matured even more.

Where researchers once concentrated on understanding what machines could do, today’s challenge is understanding how the technology can solve real-world problems.

“There was a lot of interest in early 2010 from academics in what this or that machine could do in terms of building a part, whether it was polymer or metal.” explained Brandt.

“These days, I think people understand that it’s not so much about the technology anymore—whether it’s metal, polymer or concrete. It’s much more about the applications and what problems the technology can solve.”

Brandt is Director of RMIT University’s Advanced Manufacturing Precinct and founded the Centre for Additive Manufacturing (RCAM) in 2013, leading the centre until last year. He came to additive manufacturing through a background in lasers for cladding, cutting, drilling and welding, a pathway that has seen him contribute to some of Australia’s most significant manufacturing research projects.

WAAM gains traction

One area attracting growing attention from both researchers and industry is wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), which uses robotic welding systems to melt metal wire and build large near-net-shape components layer by layer.

RCAM was among the early Australian adopters of the technology, investing in an AML3D WAAM system in 2021. Since then, interest has continued to grow across sectors ranging from mining and heavy industry to aerospace and defence.

Today, WAAM’s appeal lies in its ability to produce large metal components quickly and cost-effectively.

“It gives you high deposition rates of metal, and it’s also cheaper compared with laser or laser-wire technology. So, that’s really the economic driver for this technology.” Brandt explained.

Despite the momentum, significant research challenges remain.

“But there’s still relatively little data available. If you’re building these structures, particularly from a mechanical perspective, we don’t yet have a complete understanding of their properties and, in many cases, we don’t really know what strength we can reliably achieve.”

Understanding material behaviour, reliability and process consistency remains critical for broader industrial adoption.

That challenge is reflected in several AMCRC projects focused on WAAM applications, including aerospace tooling manufactured, aircraft structure repair, and improving wear resistance of materials. Each project requires extensive testing to better understand properties such as tensile strength, fatigue resistance and long-term performance.

Brandt points to porosity as one of the challenges researchers continue to investigate.

“Look at porosity. You can have porosity occurring between the layers, so it’s almost like the FDM process on steroids.”

Building confidence in metal AM

While WAAM continues to mature, laser-based metal additive manufacturing is considerably more established and has already demonstrated its value in high-performance applications.

Brandt’s team at RCAM has worked across a range of industries, from aerospace and defence to healthcare. Among its most recognised achievements was Australia’s first bespoke 3D-printed titanium spinal implant, developed in collaboration with medical device manufacturer Anatomics and orthopaedic surgeons in 2015.

The implant enabled a patient to return to normal activities just three months after surgery and demonstrated the transformative potential of additive manufacturing in healthcare.

Projects such as these highlight how additive manufacturing has evolved from an emerging technology into a practical manufacturing solution capable of addressing complex industry challenges.

Collaboration remains the key

Over the course of his career, Brandt has been involved in eight Cooperative Research Centres since the program began in 1992. Throughout that time, he has seen a consistent pattern among the most successful projects.

Industry demand, he says, has always been the starting point.

Projects may involve fundamental research, applied development or a combination of both, but they need to be linked to a genuine industry need.

The CRC Association recently identified several factors commonly found in successful CRC projects, including clearly defined industry challenges, strong commercial capability and active engagement from industry partners.

Brandt’s own formula is equally straightforward.

In his experience, the strongest projects bring together three groups: the end user, the technology provider and the researcher.

“In my projects, I’ve always tried to bring those three groups together—the end user, the technology provider and the researcher.”

That collaborative model continues to underpin AMCRC’s research portfolio, bringing together industry and researchers to solve commercially relevant manufacturing challenges.

Looking beyond metal

Nearly a year into AMCRC’s research program, Brandt believes the metal-focused projects are progressing well. Looking ahead, however, he sees significant opportunities in expanding the scope of additive manufacturing research.

“Over the next year, I want to focus more on non-metal-based projects.” he explained.

“Metal-based projects are doing well, but we also need to look at non-metal materials such as polymers and concrete, and understand what needs to be developed for those applications. That’s going to be my focus over the next year.”

For a researcher who has spent decades advancing metal additive manufacturing, the next frontier is clear. The opportunities for additive manufacturing extend far beyond metals, and understanding how the technology can create value across new materials and industries will be a key part of the journey ahead.