Preprocessing and postprocessing in additive manufacturing

The main challenges for the manufacturing sectors are to provide product with lower costs, within shorter lead times, showing good esthetic improvement, being precise geometrically and dimensionally accurate, and having better mechanical properties for end use applications. Additive manufacturing (AM) is an emerging technology having the potential to provide solutions to the challenges of market globalization. Each AM system requires a series of preprocessing steps to convert the conceptualized idea of designer into the final part. The preprocessing steps are time- and source-consuming but are mandatory to obtain part fit in all respects. The degree of preprocessing differs from one AM system to another. The part printed by the AM technique is not ready to meet the customers’ requirements. It consists of geometric flaws like a too rough surface and poor mechanical properties. Various postprocessing operations are thus performed on the part to improve its characteristics and to make it suitable to the customers’ demand.