CHALLENGES OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING IN MACHINE ELEMENT APPLICATIONS

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has become increasingly relevant in science as well as industrial applications, thanks to its ability to produce complex geometries that are difficult to achieve with conventional methods. Sliding bearings are essential machine parts, characterized by great reliability, constant performance, and minimal noise. In machine systems, sliding bearings allow shaft rotation with minimal friction and heat dissipation. The use of additive technologies to make machine parts, especially sliding bearings, allows for on-demand manufacturing without large series or expensive tools and the use of a variety of materials, from engineering polymers to metals. Industries that need customized solutions benefit from mass personalization and customized production enabled by these technologies. Additive manufacturing contributes to environmentally friendly production by reducing material waste, lowering energy consumption, and minimizing the carbon footprint, thus supporting strategies of circular economy. One of the disadvantages of additive technologies is the higher price per unit of the product compared to conventional methods, as well as the longer time for manufacturing the part. In addition, parts made with additive technologies often require additional machining using traditional methods, such as turning or grinding, in order to achieve the appropriate finish and surface quality. The need to evaluate tribological properties, primarily the coefficient of friction and wear of additively produced parts, arose from the increasing application of additive technologies in the production of sliding bearings. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of additive manufacturing technologies that can be applied to the production of machine elements, with special reference to sliding bearings, as well as to analyse the tested tribological properties of the relevant materials.