Our work presents a comprehensive report on selective laser melting (SLM)
techniques with a specific focus on the different material families compatible with the
SLM process, the mechanical and microstructural characteristics, residual stress and
defect analyses. The major process parameters that determine the geometric accuracy
and post-treatment techniques that eradicate defects in SLM fabrication are also
reviewed. Then, a keyword co-occurrence analysis is performed to determine the future
research directions in the SLM. The results showed mechanical characteristaion of
SLM, defect analysis of SLM, SLM fabrication of porous implants and bulk metallic
glass production using SLM to be the four major domains in SLM literature.
Keywords: Additive manufacturing, Aluminum alloy, Biomedical application,
Composite, Developing trend, Heat treatment, Hybrid processing, Liquid phase
sintering, Mechanical properties, Mechanical properties, Metallurgical defects,
Microfabrication, Microstructural evolution, Network analysis, Powder
metallurgy, Powder-bed recoating, Process parameter, Repeatability,
Reproducibility, Selective laser melting, Selective laser sintering, Spheroidisation,
Titanium.
