The work is devoted to a review of modern achievements in the field of wire-feed electron beam additive manufacturing. The features of structure formation in aluminum, copper, titanium, nickel-based alloys, and steels during 3D printing are shown. Aspects of directional solidification during the production of components from various metals and alloys are considered. The prospects for obtaining composite and functionally graded materials based on various metals and alloys using wire-feed electron beam additive manufacturing are determined. The regularities of the structure modification and hardening of additively manufactured materials by the method of friction stir processing were considered. The main purpose of the review is to present additive manufacturing methods, the main focus being on the wire-feed electron beam additive manufacturing of metal alloys.

This paper is devoted to using multi-pass friction stir processing (FSP) for admixing 1.5 to 30 vol.% copper powders into an AA5056 matrix for the in situ fabrication of a composite alloy reinforced by Al-Cu intermetallic compounds (IMC). Macrostructurally inhomogeneous stir zones have been obtained after the first FSP passes, the homogeneity of which was improved with the following FSP passes. As a result of stirring the plasticized AA5056, the initial copper particle agglomerates were compacted into large copper particles, which were then simultaneously saturated by aluminum. Microstructural investigations showed that various phases such as α-Al(Cu), α-Cu(Al) solid solutions, Cu₃Al and CuAl IMCs, as well as both S and S’-Al₂CuMg precipitates have been detected in the AA5056/Cu stir zone, depending upon the concentration of copper and the number of FSP passes. The number of IMCs increased with the number of FSP passes, enhancing microhardness by 50–55%. The effect of multipass FSP on tensile strength, yield stress and strain-to-fracture was analyzed.

Lap-welded joints between Ti–6Al–4V and Al–4Cu–1Mg were obtained using water-cooling-bath friction stir welding at different FSW tool rotation rates. The increase in the tool rotation rate from 350 to 375 RPM leads to better plasticization of the titanium alloy, elimination of stir zone defects, better interlocking and bonding with the aluminum alloy as well as the formation of intermetallic Al–Ti compounds (IMC), preferentially of the Al₃Ti type. Shear-loading testing showed the best result was at the level of 3000 N with 2 mm of displacement. Increasing the FSW tool rotation rate to 400 and 450 RPM resulted in the formation of more IMCs, which had a detrimental effect on both maximum load and displacement achieved in the shear tests.

A gradient transition zone was obtained using electron beam deposition from AA4047 wire on AA7075 substrate and characterized for microstructures, tensile strength and corrosion resistance. The microstructure of the transition zone was composed of aluminum alloy grains, Al/Si eutectics and Fe-rich and Si-rich particles. Such a microstructure provided strength comparable to that of AA7075-T42 substrate but more intense corrosion due to the higher amount of anodic Mg₂Si particles. The as-deposited AA4047 zone formed above the transition zone was composed of aluminum alloy dendrites and interdendritic Al/Si eutectics with low mechanical strength and high corrosion potential.