NiTi shape memory alloys are the prime choice for many engineering and biomedical applications due to their unique response to environmental/external stimuli. The capability of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) to additively manufacture high-quality density NiTi alloy with intricate geomaterial configuration, good surface quality, and chemical homogeneity makes the LPBF process the preferred choice among other additive manufacturing (AM) methods for manufacturing the NiTi alloy. The AM process parameters have a decisive effect on the functional and mechanical properties of NiTi alloy. There is a need to understand the resultant effect of the interrelationship between the process parameters on the final NiTi additive manufactured structures. The inherent high rate of melting and cooling of the LPBF process resulting in high internal stress could cause adverse effects such as cracks and Ni-loss which are detrimental to the phase transformation temperature of the NiTi alloy. Despite the current challenges, the literature reveals that LPBF NiTi components demonstrated functional and mechanical properties according to the ASTM standard and have been used widely for biomedical applications due to its stress-strain hysteresis, which is similar to bone tissues. The alloy is also used extensively for high-value engineering applications such as the automotive and aerospace industries due to its actuation properties.

TiAl-based intermetallic alloys have come to the fore as the preferred alloys for high-temperature applications. Conventional methods (casting, forging, sheet forming, extrusion, etc.) have been applied to produce TiAl intermetallic alloys. However, the inherent limitations of conventional methods do not permit the production of the TiAl alloys with intricate geometries. Additive manufacturing technologies such as electron beam melting (EBM) and laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), were used to produce TiAl alloys with complex geometries. EBM technology can produce crack-free TiAl components but lacks geometrical accuracy. LPBF technology has great geometrical precision that could be used to produce TiAl alloys with tailored complex geometries, but cannot produce crack-free TiAl components. To satisfy the current industrial requirement of producing crack-free TiAl alloys with tailored geometries, the paper proposes a new heating model for the LPBF manufacturing process. The model could maintain even temperature between the solidified and subsequent layers, reducing temperature gradients (residual stress), which could eliminate crack formation. The new conceptualized model also opens a window for in situ heat treatment of the built samples to obtain the desired TiAl (γ-phase) and Ti₃Al (α₂-phase) intermetallic phases for high-temperature operations. In situ heat treatment would also improve the homogeneity of the microstructure of LPBF manufactured samples.

Due to increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics, surface coatings of medical devices with antimicrobial agents have come to the fore. These surface coatings on medical devices were basically thin coatings that delaminated from the medical devices due to the fluid environment and the biomechanical activities associated with in-service implants. The conventional methods of manufacturing have been used to alloy metal-based antimicrobial (MBA) agents such as Cu with Ti6Al4V to enhance its antibacterial properties but failed to produce intricate shapes. Additive manufacturing technology, such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), could be used to produce the Ti6Al4V–xCu alloy with intricate shapes to enhance osseointegration, but have not been successful for texturing the surfaces of the Ti6Al4V–xCu samples at the nanoscale.

The ever-increasing demand for developing lightweight, high-temperature materials that can operate at elevated temperatures is still a subject of worldwide research and TiAl-based alloys have come to the fore. The conventional methods of manufacturing have been used successfully to manufacture the TiAl-based alloy. However, due to the inherent limitations of the conventional methods to produce large TiAl components with intricate near-net shapes has limit the widespread application and efficiency of the TiAl components produced using conventional methods. Metal additive manufacturing such as Electron Beam Melting technology could manufacture the TiAl alloys with intricate shapes but lack geometrical accuracy. Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology could manufacture the TiAl-based alloys with intricate shapes with geometrical accuracy. However, the inherent high rate of heating and cooling mechanisms of the LPBF process failed to produce crack-free TiAl components. Various preheating techniques have been experimented, to reduce the high thermal gradient and residual stress during the LPBF process that causes the cracking of the TiAl components. Although these techniques have not reached industrial readiness up to now, encouraging results have been achieved.

Powder bed fusion (PBF) process has been used successfully to produce 3D structures using single material properties. The current industrial demand is to use the technology to produce 3D structures of multimaterial properties. An electron beam melting (EBM) process has been used to produce 3D structures of multimaterial properties. However, due to the large beam size, the EBM process lacks geometrical accuracy, requiring a large machining allowance. A laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process could be used to produce multimaterials with geometrical precision. However, the thermal gradient within the molten pool and the thermophysical difference between the multimaterials leads to defects (weak interfacial bonds, interlayer and intralayer cracks). Other challenges such as poor powder delivery system, powder cross-contamination, and lack of appropriate data processing software for producing 3D multimaterial structures are not yet fully resolved. Nonetheless, there have been encouraging results for producing the next generational multimaterial 3D components of intricate geometrical characteristics.