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Engineering Science in

Additive Manufacturing

REVIEW ARTICLE
Additive manufacturing techniques for EH36

steels: Challenges and future directions

Lin Jie Justin Ang , Jiazhao Huang , Mui Ling Sharon Nai, and Pan Wang*
†
†
Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research
(A*STAR), 5 Cleantech Loop, Singapore

Abstract
Additive manufacturing (AM) has revolutionized the fabrication of metallic
components, offering significant advantages in design flexibility, material efficiency,
and process customization. EH36 steel, a high-strength, low-alloy material, is widely
used in the marine and offshore industries due to its excellent mechanical properties
and corrosion resistance. While AM presents a promising avenue for advancing
the application of EH36 steel, several research gaps persist. This review provides
a comprehensive overview of AM techniques applicable to EH36 steel, including
powder bed fusion using a laser beam, direct energy deposition using a laser beam,
and direct energy deposition using an electric arc. Key challenges in integrating
additive manufactured (AMed) components with traditionally manufactured parts,
† These authors contributed equally such as optimizing interfaces in hybrid components and applying AM for in situ
to this work. repair of large-scale marine structures, are examined, emphasizing their potential
*Corresponding author: to significantly reduce costs and downtime. The review further addresses the critical
Pan Wang need for standardization and certification of AMed EH36 steel components while
(wangp@simtech.a-star.edu.sg) proposing future research directions focused on advanced numerical simulations,
Citation: Ang LJJ, Huang J, digital twin technologies, and machine learning-driven process optimization to
Nai MLS, Wang P. Additive enhance their performance and reliability.
manufacturing techniques for EH36
steels: Challenges and future
directions. Eng Sci Add Manuf.
2025;1(1):025060005. Keywords: Additive manufacturing; PBF-LB; DED-LB; DED-Arc; EH36; Marine and offshore
doi: 10.36922/ESAM025060005
Received: February 5, 2025
Revised: March 16, 2025 1. Introduction
Accepted: March 17, 2025 Additive manufacturing (AM), often referred to as 3D printing, has emerged as a
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Published online: March 25, 2025 transformative approach in manufacturing. It enables the production of complex
geometries that are difficult or impossible to achieve using conventional methods
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s).
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This is an Open-Access article while also minimizing material waste and reducing production lead times. Metal AM
distributed under the terms of the encompasses a variety of techniques, including powder bed fusion using an electron
Creative Commons Attribution beam (PBF-EB), powder bed fusion using a laser beam (PBF-LB), directed energy
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License, permitting distribution,
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and reproduction in any medium, deposition (DED), material jetting, and binder jetting. These methods are particularly
provided the original work is well-suited for metallic materials, offering precise control over microstructure and
properly cited. properties by tailoring process parameters. The resulting improvements in part
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Publisher’s Note: AccScience performance and design flexibility have made AM a valuable tool in industries such
Publishing remains neutral with as aerospace, automotive, 11,12 and biomedical engineering, 13-15 with materials such as
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regard to jurisdictional claims in 16-19 20 21
published maps and institutional titanium alloys, aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys, and various steels. However,
affiliations. its potential in the marine and offshore sectors remains underexplored.
Volume 1 Issue 1 (2025) 1 doi: 10.36922/ESAM025060005