The Role of Computed Tomography in Additive Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing (AM) has grown far beyond its origins in rapid prototyping, and is now used to produce a range of high-performance products and components. As well as offering material and energy efficiencies beyond traditional methods, AM enables the creation of multi-material objects with complex internal geometries.
Computed tomography (CT) plays a key role in the development of AM processes by enabling the complete 3D visualization of additively manufactured parts.
Understanding Additive Manufacturing
Most ‘traditional’ machining techniques can be considered subtractive. Milling, turning, drilling – all of these involve the
removal of material from bulk solid in order to leave behind useful products (and, generally, wasted material in the form of offcuts and shavings).