Thesis (PhD (Industrial Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Injection moulding of polymer components is subject to ever increasing demands for improved part quality and production rate. It is widely recognised that the mould cooling strategy employed is crucial to achieving these goals. A brief overview of injection moulding units and different types of injection moulds is given. The modern Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology for processing metal powders such as Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) and Selective Laser Melting (SLM) offers almost full freedom to the mould designer. Some of these modern manufacturing methods based on metal powders, which are able to produce complex cooling channels are analysed. A drastic change has entered the mould design domain - shifting the paradigm from design for manufacture to manufacture for design. In combination with suitable AM methods the concept of surface cooling moulds can now be efficiently implemented. This study presents a new approach of predicting the minimum cooling time required for the produced part. Different cooling layouts are analysed taking the heat transfer into consideration. The lumped heat capacity method is implemented in this research in order to determine the minimum cooling cycle time required. A new approach was developed to determine the most suitable cooling layout configuration, such as conventional cooling, conformal cooling or surface cooling, required for a moulded part based on its characteristics such as shape complexity, space available for the cooling layout, part quality requirements, production volume, and product life cycle. A mould cooling design process including simulation, reverse engineering and manufacturing of the mould insert was implemented in this study. In order to validate the generic model developed during the course of this research comparative experiments were carried out to determine the difference in performance of injection moulding using conventional or surface cooling methods. The experimental results showed a significant improvement in part quality produced with reduced cycle times using the surface cooling method. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: ‘Injection Moulding’ van polimeer komponente word al meer gedruk vir verbeterde kwaliteit en vinniger produksie tyd. Dit is orals bekend dat die gietvorm afkoeling strategie ‘n groot rol speel om hierdie twee doelwitte te bereik. Eers word ‘n kort oorslag gegee van ‘Injection Moulding’ eenhede en van verskillende ‘Injection Moulding’ vorms. Die moderne Aditatiewe Vervaardigingstegnologie vir die prosessering van metaal poeiers soos bv. Direkte Metaal Laser Sintering (DMLS) en Selektiewe Laser Smelting (SLM) bied basies volle vryheid ten opsigte van gietvorm ontwerp. Party van die moderne vervaadigings metodes, wat op metaal poeiers gebaseer is, wat komplekse koelings kanale kan produseer word geanaliseer. Die ontwerpers arena het ‘n groot verandering ondergaan deurdat die fokus van ontwerp vir vervaardiging verskuif het na vervaardiging vir ontwerp. In kombinasie met toepaslike aditatiewe vervaardigings metodes kan oppervlak verkoeling nou effektief geïmplementeer word. Hierdie studie bied a nuwe manier om die minimum verkoelings tyd benodig vir ‘n part te voorspel. Verskeie verkoelings uitlegte word geanaliseer waar hitte oordrag in ag geneem word. Die “lumped heat capacity” metode word gebruik om die minimum siklus tyd te bepaal. ‘n Nuwe benadering is ontwikkel om die mees geskikste verkoelings uitleg soos bv. konvensionele verkoeling, konvorme verkoeling of oppervlak verkoeling te bepaal vir ‘n spesifieke part gebaseer op die part se vorm kompleksiteit, spasie beskikbaar vir verkoelings kanale, kwaliteit vereistes en produk lewensiklus. Die volgende is in die studie geïmplementeer: ‘n vorm verkoelings ontwerp proses met simulasie, ‘reverse engineering’ en vervaardiging van die vorm insetsel. Om die generiese model te verifieer gedurende die studie is vergelykende eksperimente uitgevoer om die verskil in prestasie te bepaal tussen die gebruik van konvensionele en oppervlak verkoelings metodes. Die eksperimentele resultate het ‘n beduidende verbetering in part kwaliteit getoon met ‘n verkorte siklus tyd tydens die gebruik van die oppervlag verkoelings metode.

Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies in particular powder bed fusion processes such as Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) are capable of producing a fully-dense metal components directly from computer-aided design (CAD) model without the need of tooling. This unique capability offered by metal AM has allowed the manufacture of inter-connected lattice structures from metallic materials for different applications including, medical implants and aerospace lightweight components. Despite the many promising design freedoms, metal AM still faces some major technical and design barriers in building complex structures with overhang geometries. Any overhang geometry which exceeds the minimum allowable build angle must be supported. The function of support structure is to prevent the newly melted layer from curling due to thermal stresses by anchoring it in place. External support structures are usually removed from the part after the build; however, internal support structures are difficult or impossible to remove. These limitations are in contrast to what is perceived by designers as metal AM being able to generate all conceivable geometries. Because support structures consume expensive raw materials, use a considerable amount of laser consolidation energy, there is considerable interest in design optimisation of support structure to minimize the build time, energy, and material consumption. Similarly there is growing demand of developing more advanced and lightweight cellular structures which are self-supporting and manufacturable in wider range of cell sizes and volume fractions using metal AM. The main focuses of this research is to tackle the process limitation in metal AM and promote design freedom through advanced self-supporting and low-density Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) cellular structures. Low density uniform, and graded, cellular structures have been developed for metal AM processes. This work presents comprehensive experimental test conducted in SLM and DMLS processes using different TPMS cell topologies and materials. This research has contributed to new knowledge in understanding the manufacturability and mechanical behaviour of TPMS cellular structures with varying cell sizes, orientations and volume fractions. The new support structure method will address the saving of material (via low volume cellular structures and easy removal of powder) and saving of energy (via reduced build-time).

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) of Additive Manufacturing is an attractive fabrication method that employs CAD data to selectively melt the metal powder layer by layer via a laser beam and produce a 3D part. This method not only opens a new window in overcoming traditional NiTi fabrication problems but also for producing porous or complex shaped structures. The combination of SLM fabrication advantages with the unique properties of NiTi alloys, such as shape memory effect, superelasticity, high ductility, work output, corrosion, biocompatibility, etc. makes SLM NiTi alloys extremely promising for numerous applications. The SLM process parameters such as laser power, scanning speed, spacing, and strategy used during the fabrication are determinant factors in composition, microstructural features and functional properties of the SLM NiTi alloy. Therefore, a comprehensive and systematic study has been conducted over Ni50.8 Ti49.2 (at%) alloy to understand the influence of each parameter individually. It was found that a sharp [001] texture is formed as a result of SLM fabrication which leads to improvements in the superelastic response of the alloy. It was perceived that transformation temperatures, microstructure, hardness, the intensity of formed texture and the correlated thermo-mechanical response are changed substantially with alteration of each parameter. The provided knowledge will allow choosing optimized parameters for tailoring the functional features of SLM fabricated NiTi alloys. Without going through any heat treatments, 5.77% superelasticity with more than 95% recovery ratio was obtained in as-fabricated condition only with the selection of right process parameters. Additionally, thermal treatments can be utilized to form precipitates in Ni-rich SLM NiTi alloys fabricated by low energy density. Precipitation could significantly alter the matrix composition, transformation temperatures and strain, critical stress for transformation, and shape memory response of the alloy. Therefore, a systematic aging study has been performed to reveal the effects of aging time and temperature. It was found that although SLM fabricated samples show lower strength than the initial ingot, heat treatments can be employed to make significant improvements in shape memory response of SLM NiTi. Up to 5.5% superelastic response and perfect shape memory effect at stress levels up to 500 MPa was observed in solutionized Ni-rich SLM NiTi after 18h aging at 350ºC. For practical application, transformation temperatures were even adjusted without solution annealing and superelastic response of 5.5% was achieved at room temperature for 600C-1.5hr aged Ni-rich SLM NiTi. The effect of porosity on strength and cyclic response of porous SLM Ni50.1 Ti49.9 (at%) were investigated for potential bone implant applications. It is shown that mechanical properties of samples such as elastic modulus, yield strength, and ductility of samples are highly porosity level and pore structure dependent. It is shown that it is feasible to decrease Young’s modulus of the SLM NiTi up to 86% by adding porosity to reduce the mismatch with that of a bone and still retain the shape memory response of SLM fabricated NiTi. The shape memory effect, as well as superelastic response of porous SLM Ni50.8Ti49.2,were also investigated at body temperature. 32 and 45% porous samples with similar behaviors, recovered 3.5% of 4% deformation at first cycle. The stabilized superelastic response was obtained after clicking experiments.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo estudar as propriedades mecânicas e a caracterização microestrutural de espécimes da liga de Co-Cr-Mo obtidos por manufatura aditiva fusão seletiva a laser (do inglês Selective Laser Melting SLM) e por fundição de precisão, visando a confecção de próteses odontológicas. A partir de pós de Co-Cr-Mo atomizados a gás foram realizadas as seguintes etapas: 1) investigação das propriedades físicas, químicas e térmicas dos pós atomizados em diferentes faixas granulométricas (denominadas: D1 < 15 &mu;m, D2 de 20-50 &mu;m e D3 > 75 &mu;m); 2) confecção de espécimes, em dimensões padronizadas, por meio das técnicas de consolidação; 3) caracterização dos consolidados por análise de: citotoxicidade, porosidade, difração de raios X e dilatometria; 4) caracterização mecânica de tração, flexão em três pontos, dureza (macro e micro Vickers) e caracterização microestrutural (microscopia óptica e eletrônica de varredura). De modo geral, os resultados obtidos foram: a granulometria D2 (20-50 &mu;m) é a que melhor se enquadra nas análises de empacotamento para a consolidação por meio de SLM; a biocompatibilidade das amostras obteve resultado positivo para ambas técnicas de processamento; a avaliação mecânica dos espécimes evidencia que a técnica de fusão seletiva a laser propicia propriedades mecânicas (tensão de escoamento, tensão de ruptura, tensão máxima, alongamento e dureza) superiores as obtidas pela técnica de fundição de precisão; a microestrutura obtida pelo processo SLM é composta por grãos ultrafinos e de elevada homogeneidade química. Conclui-se que, o desenvolvimento do presente estudo evidenciou que na fabricação de componentes odontológicos customizados (coroas) a técnica SLM apresenta qualidade superior quando comparada a fundição de precisão. / The objective of this work was to study the mechanical properties and microstructural characterization of specimens of the Co-Cr-Mo alloy obtained by additive manufacturing -selective laser melting (SLM) and precision casting aiming at the manufacture of dental prostheses. The following steps were carried out on Co-Cr-Mo gas-atomized powders: 1) investigation of the physical, chemical and thermal properties of atomized powders in different grain sizes (denominated: D1 <15 &mu;m, D2 20-50 &mu;m and D3 > 75 &mu;m); 2) the consolidation of standard specimens via consolidation techniques; 3) characterization of consolidated by analysis of: cytotoxicity, porosity, X ray diffraction and dilatometry; 4) mechanical characterization of tensile, 3 point bending, hardness (macro and micro Vickers) tests and microstructural characterization (optical and scanning electron microscopy). In general, the results observed were: the grain size D2 (20-50 &mu;m) is the one that best fits in the analysis of packaging, for the consolidation by SLM; the biocompatibility of the samples obtained a positive result for both processing techniques; the mechanical evaluation of the specimens shows that the SLM technique provides superior mechanical properties (yield stress, rupture stress, maximum stress, elongation and hardness), compared to those obtained by the precision casting technique; the microstructure obtained by the SLM process results in an ultrafine grains with high chemical homogeneity, differentiated by the gross dendritic microstructure in the casting process. In this way, the development of the present study evidenced superior quality in manufacturing customized dental components (copings) by SLM technique compared to precision casting.

This work describes advanced fabrication of custom orthopaedic implants using unconventional additive manufacturing technology - Selective Laser Melting (SLM). There was a main focus on custom knee replacement and certainly on its femoral component. The study investigated three general issues within the domain of the usage of additive manufacturing technology in medical application. First, there was an evaluation of process parameters influences of SLM fabrication method on surface and mechanical properties of titanium Ti6Al4V ELI specimens. This material was used because of its biocompatibility and its wide use within implant fabrication. Then, a proposal of the manufacturing strategy was carried out and the fabrication of customized knee femoral component prototype by SLM technology was done. The elaboration of the numerical chain prior the SLM implant fabrication, from patient's CT knee scan to final femoral replacement model, was also done. Then, a proposal of different 3-axis and 5-axis strategies of machining of the fitting femoral surface of bone prototype (3D printed from the powder) using CNC machines FV 25 CNC and TAJMAC ZPS MCV 1210 was projected and also, the 3-axis spiral machining was realised. The individual machining tool paths were generated by software Power Mill from Delcam group. Finally, these machining strategies were generated as a prior step before a machining of real patient’s bone, therefore the machining tests of cartilage and bone were done.

Selective laser melting process is an additive manufacturing technique that allows obtaining, from a 3D model, a physical model through a layer-by-layer manufacturing strategy. Several machines are commercially available, known as 3D printers. Recently, technology improvements have allowed the use of metallic materials; however, the amount of materials available is low due to the difficulty to find adequate manufacturing parameters. The thesis proposes a methodology, using an inclined plane, to set the minimum energy density to melt a continuous track, the first step of the melting process. Different process parameters from several commercials machines have been used to evaluate dimensional and mechanical properties. Replicas of traditional products have been fabricated using additive process and they have been compared. Finally, a protocol to use a selective laser melting process to reconstruct a personalized jaw prosthesis has been shown / La fusió selectiva per làser és un procés de fabricació additiva que permet obtenir, d'un disseny en 3D, un model físic de forma ràpida i a través d'una estratègia de fabricació capa a capa. Existeixen diferents màquines comercials anomenades impressores 3D. Actualment, les millores tècniques desenvolupades han permès la utilització de materials metàl·lics, no obstant, la quantitat de materials que es poden utilitzar és baix degut a la dificultat per trobar els paràmetres de fabricació més adequats. La tesis proposa una metodologia, a través d’un pla inclinat, que permet definir la densitat d’energia mínima per fondre un cordó continu, el primer pas del procés de fusió làser. Diferents paràmetres de varies màquina comercials s'han utilitzat per avaluar variables dimensionals i mecàniques. S'han comparat rèpliques fabricades mitjançant processos tradicionals i processos additius. Finalment, s'ha realitzat un protocol per a reconstruir una mandíbula personalitzada utilitzant la fusió selectiva per làser

Selective laser melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing process which enables the creation of intricate components from high performance alloys. This facilitates the design and fabrication of new cellular materials for blast and impact mitigation, where the performance is heavily influenced by geometric and material sensitivities. Design of such materials requires an understanding of the relationship between the additive manufacturing process and material properties at different length scales: from the microstructure, to geometric feature rendition, to overall dynamic performance. To date, there remain significant uncertainties about both the potential benefits and pitfalls of using additive manufacturing processes to design and optimise cellular materials for dynamic energy absorbing applications. This investigation focuses on the out-of-plane compression of stainless steel cellular materials fabricated using SLM, and makes two specific contributions. First, it demonstrates how the SLM process itself influences the characteristics of these cellular materials across a range of length scales, and in turn, how this influences the dynamic deformation. Secondly, it demonstrates how an additive manufacturing route can be used to add geometric complexity to the cell architecture, creating a versatile basis for geometry optimisation. Two design spaces are explored in this work: a conventional square honeycomb hybridised with lattice walls, and an auxetic stacked-origami geometry, manufactured and tested experimentally here for the first time. It is shown that the hybrid lattice-honeycomb geometry outperformed the benchmark metallic square honeycomb in terms of energy absorption efficiency in the intermediate impact velocity regime (approximately 100 m/s). In this regime, the collapse is dominated by dynamic buckling effects, but wave propagation effects have yet to become pronounced. By tailoring the fold angles of the stacked origami material, numerical simulations illustrated how it can be optimised for specific impact velocity regimes between 10-150 m/s. Practical design tools were then developed based on these results.

Submitted by Caroline Periotto (carol@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-10T12:55:43Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissJMS.pdf: 4383574 bytes, checksum: 04172fa81fb0f3d2e00439bbeaf3cbd4 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-20T19:49:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissJMS.pdf: 4383574 bytes, checksum: 04172fa81fb0f3d2e00439bbeaf3cbd4 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-20T19:49:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissJMS.pdf: 4383574 bytes, checksum: 04172fa81fb0f3d2e00439bbeaf3cbd4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-20T19:49:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissJMS.pdf: 4383574 bytes, checksum: 04172fa81fb0f3d2e00439bbeaf3cbd4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-16 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / The aim of the present work was the study of the viability of a manufacturing route of parts with the Cu-based Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) Cu- 11,3Al-3,2Ni-3Mn-0,5Zr through gas atomization followed by Selective Laser Melting (SLM) consolidation. The alloy was prepared from high purity elements in an induction furnace with a concentrate argon flow shield above the molten metal. The atomization was carried out using an induction furnace for melting and argon as atomizer gas. The atomized powder was sieved in 32-106 μm range particles sizes and consolidated by SLM 250 HL device settled at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research, Dresden, Germany. In the consolidation step the best combination of power (P in Watts) and velocity (V in mm/s) were selected through the visual aspect criteria. In the following step the hatching track percentage (S) guided by relative density criteria was included. The atomized powder and the consolidated samples were characterized by optical and electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. The composition and the powder morphology were suitable for the SLM processing. The parameters optimization point out that the best combinations were P310v740S40 and P310v740S50, their relative density were around 97 %. The β’ “zig-zag” martensite phase, the SMA effect cause, was prevailing in the consolidated samples microstructure, still, the microstructure although was not-uniform it was relatively grain refined, pointing out the effect of Zr addition. The consolidated samples transformation temperatures were As=172-174C, Af=194-197C, Ms=156-160C, Mf=132- 138C. The results point to a strong indicative of the viability of a manufacturing route of parts with Cu-based SMA through gas atomization followed by SLM consolidation. / O objetivo da dissertação foi o estudo da viabilidade de uma rota de fabricação de peças com liga Cu-11,3Al-3,2Ni-3Mn-0,5Zr a base de cobre com Efeito de Memória de Forma (EMF) por atomização a gás da liga, seguida pela consolidação por Fusão Seletiva por Laser (FSL). A liga foi elaborada a partir de elementos de alta pureza em forno de indução com proteção de fluxo de argônio concentrado acima do banho. As atomizações foram realizadas com fusão por indução e utilizando argônio como gás de atomização. Os pós, separados na faixa granulométrica 32-106 μm foram consolidados por FSL utilizando o equipamento SLM 250 HL do Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research, Dresden, Alemanha. Para consolidação foram selecionadas as melhores combinações de potência (P em W) e velocidade (V em mm/s) do feixe de laser pelo critério de aspecto visual das trilhas simples. Na etapa seguinte foi considerada a porcentagem de sobreposição de pistas (S) avaliada pelo critério de densidade relativa. O pó atomizado e os corpos consolidados por FSL foram caracterizados por microscopia ótica e eletrônica de varredura, difração de raios-X e por calorimetria diferencial de varredura. A composição e a morfologia do pó atomizado foram adequadas para o processo de FSL. A otimização dos parâmetros de processamento indicaram que as melhores combinações foram de P310v740S40 e P310v740S50, com densidade relativa alcançada em torno de 97%. A fase martensítica β’ “zigzag”, responsável pelo EMF, foi predominante nos corpos consolidados por FSL sendo que a microestrutura, embora não uniforme, foi relativamente refinada, indicando o efeito da adição de Zr na composição da liga. As temperaturas de transformação dos corpos consolidados foram de As=172- 174C, Af=194-197C, Ms=156-160C, Mf=132-138C. Os resultados indicam a viabilidade da rota de fabricação de peças em ligas a base de cobre com EMF por atomização a gás da liga, seguida pela consolidação por FSL.

Selective laser melting (SLM) of metallic powders is an additive manufacturing technique that is widely employed to produce 3D components, and is fast becoming an important method for manufacturing near-net shape and complex metallic parts. In this thesis, a comprehensive investigation on the effect of SLM on the mechanical and corrosion properties of the Al-12Si (AS), 316L stainless steel (SS), and 18(Ni)-300 grade managing steel (MS) is investigated, with particular emphasis on the developing (micro- as well as mesa-)structure -property correlations. Detailed microstructural characterization combined with quasi-static tensile, fracture toughness, fatigue crack growth, and unmatched fatigue tests were conducted. The effect of post-SLM heat treatment as well as the scanning strategy (linear vs. checker board hatch style) was examined and the results are compared with those of conventionally manufactured (CM) counterparts. The SLM alloys exhibit a mesostructured, in addition to the fine cellular structure along the boundaries. In a case of SLM-AS, the fine cellular structure imparts higher strength at the cost of ductility, while the mesostructured, which arises due to the laser track hatching, causes the crack path to be tortuous, and in turn leads to substantial increase in fracture toughness. This imparts significant anisotropy to the toughness while tensile properties are nearly-isotropic. The experimental results of SLM-SS also show that higher tensile strengths properties with a marked reduction ductility. In spite of these, the fracture toughness, which ranges between 63 and 87 MPa.m0.5, of the SLM-SS is good, which is a result of the mesostructured induced crack tortuousity.Both tensile and toughness properties of SLM-SS were found to be anisotropic in nature. Upon aging SLM-MS, nanoscale precipitation of intermetallic compounds occurs within the cells that, in turn, lead in marked improvements in tensile strengths properties, but substantial reductions in ductility and fracture toughness. Overall, the mechanical performance, except ductility, of the SLM-MS after aging is found to be similar to that of CM-MS. Importantly, the lack of ductility does not lead to a reduction in toughness. Although the SLM-MS alloy possesses a mesostructured, no significant anisotropy in the mechanical behaviour is observed. The unnoticed studies on SLM-AS, -SS, and -MS reveal that the tensile residual stresses, gas-pores, and unmelted powder particles, can degrade the unmatched highest fatigue properties considerably and hence need be eliminated for high fatigue strength. Room temperature, electrochemical corrosion resistances (CRs) of SLM-AS, -SS and -MS in 0.1M NaCl solution were also evaluated and compared with those CM counterparts. While SLM improves CRs of AS and SS, it degrades that of MS. The results are discussed in terms of microstructural refinement and porosity that are common in SLM alloys.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo estudar as propriedades mecânicas e a caracterização microestrutural de espécimes da liga de Co-Cr-Mo obtidos por manufatura aditiva fusão seletiva a laser (do inglês Selective Laser Melting SLM) e por fundição de precisão, visando a confecção de próteses odontológicas. A partir de pós de Co-Cr-Mo atomizados a gás foram realizadas as seguintes etapas: 1) investigação das propriedades físicas, químicas e térmicas dos pós atomizados em diferentes faixas granulométricas (denominadas: D1 < 15 &mu;m, D2 de 20-50 &mu;m e D3 > 75 &mu;m); 2) confecção de espécimes, em dimensões padronizadas, por meio das técnicas de consolidação; 3) caracterização dos consolidados por análise de: citotoxicidade, porosidade, difração de raios X e dilatometria; 4) caracterização mecânica de tração, flexão em três pontos, dureza (macro e micro Vickers) e caracterização microestrutural (microscopia óptica e eletrônica de varredura). De modo geral, os resultados obtidos foram: a granulometria D2 (20-50 &mu;m) é a que melhor se enquadra nas análises de empacotamento para a consolidação por meio de SLM; a biocompatibilidade das amostras obteve resultado positivo para ambas técnicas de processamento; a avaliação mecânica dos espécimes evidencia que a técnica de fusão seletiva a laser propicia propriedades mecânicas (tensão de escoamento, tensão de ruptura, tensão máxima, alongamento e dureza) superiores as obtidas pela técnica de fundição de precisão; a microestrutura obtida pelo processo SLM é composta por grãos ultrafinos e de elevada homogeneidade química. Conclui-se que, o desenvolvimento do presente estudo evidenciou que na fabricação de componentes odontológicos customizados (coroas) a técnica SLM apresenta qualidade superior quando comparada a fundição de precisão. / The objective of this work was to study the mechanical properties and microstructural characterization of specimens of the Co-Cr-Mo alloy obtained by additive manufacturing -selective laser melting (SLM) and precision casting aiming at the manufacture of dental prostheses. The following steps were carried out on Co-Cr-Mo gas-atomized powders: 1) investigation of the physical, chemical and thermal properties of atomized powders in different grain sizes (denominated: D1 <15 &mu;m, D2 20-50 &mu;m and D3 > 75 &mu;m); 2) the consolidation of standard specimens via consolidation techniques; 3) characterization of consolidated by analysis of: cytotoxicity, porosity, X ray diffraction and dilatometry; 4) mechanical characterization of tensile, 3 point bending, hardness (macro and micro Vickers) tests and microstructural characterization (optical and scanning electron microscopy). In general, the results observed were: the grain size D2 (20-50 &mu;m) is the one that best fits in the analysis of packaging, for the consolidation by SLM; the biocompatibility of the samples obtained a positive result for both processing techniques; the mechanical evaluation of the specimens shows that the SLM technique provides superior mechanical properties (yield stress, rupture stress, maximum stress, elongation and hardness), compared to those obtained by the precision casting technique; the microstructure obtained by the SLM process results in an ultrafine grains with high chemical homogeneity, differentiated by the gross dendritic microstructure in the casting process. In this way, the development of the present study evidenced superior quality in manufacturing customized dental components (copings) by SLM technique compared to precision casting.