Page 33 - ESAM-1-2

Engineering Science in

Additive Manufacturing

REVIEW ARTICLE
Multi-material additive manufacturing of

metals: A review of structures and mechanical
characteristics

2
Saneej N. Samad 1 , Jacklyn Griffis , Guha Manogharan 2 , and
1
Nadia Kouraytem *
1 Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, Utah State
University, Logan, Utah, United States of America
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Pennsylvania State University,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Abstract
The ability to manufacture complex designs from multiple materials has long been
a key objective for applications operating in extreme environments. Multi-material
(MM) additive manufacturing (MMAM) has significantly enhanced the functionality
of additive manufacturing (AM) by enabling the integration of dissimilar alloys while
leveraging the inherent advantages of AM, including design flexibility, reduced
material waste, and rapid production, with the ability to tailor mechanical properties
through spatial material distribution and local processing conditions. This process
*Corresponding author: unlocks unprecedented opportunities across industries such as aerospace, automotive,
Nadia Kouraytem biomedical, energy, and nuclear sectors. This article provides a comprehensive review
(nadia.kouraytem@usu.edu) of the state-of-the-art in MMAM, focusing on the manufacturing processes, molten
Citation: Samad SN, Griffis J, pool formation, alloy compatibility, and bimetallic interface characteristics—including
Manogharan G, Kouraytem N. Multi- microstructural and mechanical properties—as well as modeling and simulation
material additive manufacturing of
metals: A review of structures and approaches for performance prediction and optimization, with developments
mechanical characteristics. tracked from 2013 to 2024. This review article predominantly focuses on: (i)
Eng Sci Add Manuf. MM-laser powder bed fusion, (ii) MM-directed energy deposition, and (iii) MM-wire-
2025;1(2):025180010.
doi: 10.36922/ESAM025180010 arc AM by detailing the mechanisms of molten pool formation at the interface
and dissimilar alloy material compatibilities. Subsequently, the article provides an
Received: May 1, 2025
in-depth analysis of the meso- and micro-structural characteristics at the interface
Revised: June 8, 2025 in bimetallic structures across widely employed MMAM alloys. The mechanics of
Accepted: June 13, 2025 MMs under various mechanical properties are presented, including microhardness/
micro-indentation, tensile, flexural, compression, and fatigue strength, which are
Published online: June 30, 2025
critical for MMAM applications in extreme conditions. In addition, current modeling
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). and simulation approaches for MMAM are discussed with respect to the challenges
This is an Open-Access article and opportunities to increase MMAM adoption. The article concludes with a future
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution roadmap for advancing MMAM by overcoming feedstock and build material cross-
License, permitting distribution, contamination, monitoring the in situ process, standardizing MM testing, and further
and reproduction in any medium, developing thermo-mechanical modeling, specifically, for MMAM.
provided the original work is
properly cited.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience Keywords: Multi-material additive manufacturing; Interfacial boundary layers; Process–
Publishing remains neutral with structure–property relationships; Three-dimensional printing; Mechanical behavior;
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Modeling and simulation
affiliations.

Volume 1 Issue 2 (2025) 1 doi: 10.36922/ESAM025180010