Recent Progress in Remanufacturing Technologies using Metal Additive Manufacturing Processes and Surface Treatment

Remanufacturing has emerged as an effective strategy to promote sustainability, reduce waste, and enhance resource efficiency in modern manufacturing processes. However, traditional remanufacturing methods have limitations in producing complex geometries and restoring parts to their original condition, leading to reduced performance and durability. Metal additive manufacturing (AM) methods have shown significant potential in overcoming these limitations and enhancing the quality and reliability of remanufactured parts. Metal AM enables the production of replacement parts with high geometrical complexity and tight tolerances. On the other hand, surface treatment techniques, such as polishing and coating, can improve the surface properties of additively manufactured parts. Recent advancements in metal AM have led to significant progress in manufacturing technologies, including the development of hybrid methods combining metal AM with a surface treatment to achieve superior surface finish and accuracy while reducing production time and cost. Despite progress, challenges such as the need for cost-effective and scalable processing methods, the development of new materials, and the optimization of process parameters for specific applications still need to be addressed. Moreover, although surface modification techniques suitable for metal components fabricated through additive manufacturing can be employed for remanufactured parts, their adoption needs to be improved and necessitates additional advancement. This paper provides an overview of recent progress in manufacturing and remanufacturing technologies using metal additive manufacturing processes and surface treatments, highlighting their potential to significantly improve the quality and reliability of remanufactured parts. The paper concludes with a discussion of the future prospects of this field and the need for continued research and development to fully realize the potential of remanufacturing technologies.