Additive Manufacturing Material

Category Scope and Definition

"Additive Manufacturing (AM) material" is the umbrella category for the engineered feedstocks consumed by AM and 3D-printing processes. Per ISO/ASTM 52900, additive manufacturing is the "process of joining materials to make parts from 3D model data, usually layer upon layer," as opposed to subtractive methods (which cut material away) and formative methods (which deform material into shape). Because each process consumes its feedstock differently, the form of an AM material is never an afterthought: it is dictated by which of the seven ISO/ASTM 52900 process categories is used. A single base chemistry such as 316L stainless steel may ship as gas-atomized powder for powder bed fusion, a bound-metal filament for material extrusion, or a binder-jet powder bed feedstock.

This page sits under Materials & Raw Stock › Powder & New Material. It is a parent category, not a single product type. The sibling leaf categories most adjacent to it are Metal Powder, Magnetic Material, and Sputtering Target, all of which are preserved as sub-category links in Chapter 6. Treating this as a parent category matters for selection: there is no universal "AM material" datasheet, only feedstock-and-process pairings, and the engineering task is to choose the right pairing for a given part requirement.

Market context frames why this category is worth a dedicated guide. The broader AM market was estimated at roughly USD 30 to 47 billion in 2025, with metal feedstock being the dominant material segment, led by titanium, aluminum, stainless steel, and nickel superalloys. Polymer powders, photopolymer resins, and continuous-fiber composites are the fastest-growing material lines, with CAGRs commonly cited in the high-teens to low-20s percent. These market figures vary by analyst and should be treated as approximate ranges rather than single authoritative values; two commonly cited 2025 estimates differ by roughly 50 percent (about USD 30.55 billion versus USD 47.2 billion), which is itself a reminder to cite ranges, not points.

The practical consequence of this scope is that a procurement engineer evaluating "an AM material" is really evaluating four interlocking decisions at once: the process category (which fixes the feedstock form), the material family (metal powder, polymer powder, resin, filament, ceramic or sand), the specific chemistry and grade, and the post-processing route that determines the final, deliverable properties. The chapters that follow take each of these in turn.

Within the dominant metal segment, titanium, aluminum, stainless steel, and nickel superalloys account for the bulk of feedstock spend, which is why the governing finished-part standards in Chapter 4 concentrate on exactly those chemistries — Ti-6Al-4V and its ELI variant, 316L, AlSi10Mg, and Inconel 625 and 718. The fastest-growing lines, by contrast, sit on the polymer and composite side: polymer powders for selective laser sintering, photopolymer resins for vat photopolymerization and material jetting, and continuous-fiber composites. Reading the category through this lens keeps a buyer from over-indexing on a single headline number and instead anchors decisions to the specific family and chemistry actually being procured.

Feedstock Forms and the Seven Processes

ISO/ASTM 52900 defines exactly seven process categories, and feedstock form follows the process. This mapping is the single most useful organizing principle in the category: once you know the process, you know the form the material must take, and therefore which spec parameters govern (particle size distribution for powder beds, viscosity and cure wavelength for resins, glass-transition and print temperature for filament). The table below summarizes the seven categories with their typical feedstock form and representative materials.

Powder Bed Fusion spreads a fine powder in a thin layer and selectively fuses it with a laser (LB-PBF), an electron beam (EB-PBF), or, for polymers, sinters it (polymer SLS). It is the workhorse for high-performance metal parts and engineering-grade nylon, and it is also the most powder-quality-sensitive process, because spreadability and packing density depend directly on particle morphology and size distribution.

Directed Energy Deposition feeds either powder or wire into a moving melt pool, which makes it well suited to large parts, cladding, and repair rather than fine detail. Material Extrusion (FFF/FDM) melts a thermoplastic filament or pellets and lays it down bead by bead; the same machine class also runs metal- or ceramic-loaded "bound-metal" filament such as 316L or 17-4PH, which is later debound and sintered.

Vat Photopolymerization (SLA, DLP, LCD) selectively cures a liquid UV-curable resin layer by layer, prized for fine features and surface finish. Material Jetting (PolyJet) jets droplets of photopolymer or wax, enabling multi-material and full-color parts. Binder Jetting deposits a liquid binder onto a powder bed with no fusion inside the machine, producing a fragile green part that must be debound and sintered or infiltrated afterward; it is widely used for foundry sand molds and cores as well as stainless, tool steel, and ceramics. Sheet Lamination bonds sheets or foils of material (LOM, UAM). Per common industry framing, four routes — PBF, DED, binder jetting, and bound-metal material extrusion — cover most metal feedstock, while the remaining categories are predominantly polymer or composite.

This split has a direct procurement implication. If a part calls for a load-bearing metal alloy with certifiable mechanical properties, the realistic process set narrows to powder bed fusion, directed energy deposition, binder jetting, or bound-metal material extrusion, and for the powder routes the feedstock conversation becomes one about particle size distribution, morphology, and interstitial chemistry. If the part is a polymer or composite component, the conversation shifts to glass-transition temperature, cure wavelength and post-cure, or sinter behavior and refresh ratio instead. In both cases the process is the gatekeeper: it determines not only the feedstock form but also which spec parameters are even meaningful to request on a datasheet.

Material Families and Key Properties

AM materials sort into five practical families: metal powders, polymer powders, photopolymer resins, thermoplastic filament and pellets, and ceramics and sand. Each family is described below with the spec parameters that actually drive selection and the verified property ranges to anchor expectations. Throughout, remember the two accuracy rules for this category: mechanical-property numbers are condition-dependent (as-built versus aged versus HIP) and anisotropic, and they should always carry the post-processing condition; and resin figures are formulation-specific and must not be generalized across grades.

3.1 Metal powders (PBF and DED)

The most-used AM alloys are Ti-6Al-4V (Grade 5 and Grade 23 ELI), 316L and 17-4PH stainless, AlSi10Mg, Inconel 625 and 718 (UNS N06625 and UNS N07718), CoCr (Co-Cr-Mo), maraging and tool steels, and pure Cu. Particle size distribution (PSD) is process-specific: LB-PBF typically uses 15 to 45 µm, EB-PBF uses coarser 45 to 106 µm, and DED commonly uses 45 to 150 µm. Fines below about 10 µm cause flow and dusting problems, while particles above about 60 µm hurt density and surface finish. The powder should be highly spherical and satellite-free with good flowability, which is why gas-atomized and plasma-atomized powders dominate. Powder physical metrics — apparent density, tap density, Hall or Carney flow rate in s/50 g, and Hausner ratio — are characterized per ASTM F3049.

Interstitial chemistry targets matter for fatigue and ductility. Typical limits (wt%) include Ti-6Al-4V (Grade 5) O ≤ 0.20 per ASTM F2924 (ELI / Grade 23 O ≤ 0.13 per ASTM F3001), N ≤ 0.03–0.05, H ≤ 0.012 (ELI) to 0.015 (Grade 5), C ≤ 0.08; 316L O ≤ ~0.06, N ≤ 0.10; and IN718 O ≤ ~0.04, N ≤ 0.02. Confirm exact limits against the governing AMS or ASTM spec and the supplier datasheet, since limits differ between standard, grade, and lot. On mechanical performance, Ti-6Al-4V by LB-PBF often shows as-built UTS above 1200 MPa with low elongation (under 10 percent) due to rapid-cooling martensite; after stress-relief it reaches roughly YS 1141 / UTS 1190 MPa at about 6.9 percent elongation (anisotropic); and after HIP it settles near YS 928 / UTS 1003 MPa with elongation improved to about 16 percent and isotropic behavior (values reported for the ELI / Grade 23 variant). AlSi10Mg by LB-PBF reaches as-built UTS of roughly 430 to 480 MPa at about 3 to 9 percent elongation; T6-type heat treatment trades strength down to roughly 300 to 350 MPa while raising elongation to about 8 to 15 percent. 316L by LB-PBF reaches near-full density (99.5 percent and above) inside a volumetric energy density window of roughly 46 to 127 J/mm³, with lack-of-fusion porosity below that window and keyhole porosity above it. As-built LB-PBF parts are typically about 99.5 percent dense; HIP or optimized parameters reach about 99.9 percent.

3.2 Polymer powders (polymer PBF / SLS)

PA12 (nylon 12, e.g. PA2200-class) offers tensile strength of about 48 to 52 MPa and flexural strength of about 70 MPa; it is stiffer and more dimensionally precise. PA11 (nylon 11) is more flexible with higher impact and elongation than PA12, and is partly bio-based. Powder lifecycle economics are central to SLS cost: roughly 80 percent of a build remains unsintered and is reused with a "refresh" of fresh powder, commonly about 30 to 50 percent. Reused powder raises melt viscosity because thermal aging increases molar mass, degrading sintering; in one published study that extruded fully recycled SLS powder into filament, printed parts retained about 95 percent of tensile strength, about 85 percent of flexural modulus, and about 87 percent of impact strength relative to fresh powder. Other polymer powders include TPU (flexible) and PEEK/PEKK and PA-CF or glass-filled grades for high-performance parts.

3.3 Photopolymer resins (vat photopolymerization and material jetting)

These are UV-curable acrylate and methacrylate liquids cured at common wavelengths of 355, 385, or 405 nm. Property ranges depend heavily on formulation and post-cure: standard rigid resins reach tensile strength in the tens of MPa (often cited up to about 70 MPa for SLA tough grades), while flexible and elastomeric formulations can reach hundreds of percent elongation (for example above 400 percent for PDMS-type) at very low strength. Key spec parameters are tensile strength (MPa), elongation at break (%), flexural modulus, heat-deflection or glass-transition temperature (°C), impact strength, viscosity (cP), and shore hardness. Post-curing typically raises strength and modulus but lowers elongation. Grades span standard, tough or durable, flexible or elastomeric, high-temp, castable (burn-out), dental or biocompatible, and ceramic-filled. The "tensile up to about 70 MPa" and elongation figures are formulation-specific and should not be generalized across resin types.

3.4 Thermoplastic filament / pellets (material extrusion)

For filament, glass-transition temperature (Tg) and the thermal/mechanical balance are the headline parameters. PLA has Tg of about 60 °C, is stiff but brittle, and has low heat resistance. PETG has Tg of about 80 to 85 °C, with durability, good impact, and easy printing. ABS is strong and impact-resistant but warps and emits fumes. ASA is ABS-like with excellent UV and weather resistance for outdoor use. Nylon (PA) is strong and tough with the best wear and fatigue resistance, but is hygroscopic. PC (polycarbonate) has Tg of about 147 °C with high strength and heat capability. PEEK has very high tensile strength with excellent fatigue and creep resistance and is usable near 250 °C, requiring a high-temperature printer with a heated chamber. Fiber-reinforced grades (carbon- or glass-filled, or continuous-fiber) raise stiffness substantially.

3.5 Ceramics and sand (binder jetting, vat, paste/slurry)

Technical ceramics — alumina (Al₂O₃), zirconia (ZrO₂), and silicon carbide (SiC) — are prized for high hardness, wear resistance, thermal and chemical stability, electrical insulation, and biocompatibility; printed parts require debinding and sintering to densify. Foundry sand (binder jetting) uses silica or synthetic sand bound with furan, phenolic, or inorganic binders to print molds and cores for metal casting, supporting large-format tooling. A key process-route note for this family: binder jetting and many ceramic or bound-metal routes are two-step — a green part is printed, then debound and sintered or infiltrated — with associated shrinkage that must be compensated in CAD.

The comparison table below distills the key spec parameter and a representative value or range for each family, so a buyer can see at a glance which property governs which feedstock. Treat every number as condition-dependent and verify against the controlling spec and supplier lot certificate.

Governing Standards Landscape

AM materials are governed by a layered standards stack: foundational terminology and general principles, powder feedstock characterization, and material or finished-part specifications. Knowing which document controls which parameter is what separates a defensible spec from an unverifiable one. The foundational layer starts with ISO/ASTM 52900, "Additive manufacturing — General principles — Fundamentals and vocabulary," which defines AM and the seven process categories used throughout this guide. The ISO 17296 series covers AM general principles: Part 2 gives an overview of process categories and feedstock, Part 3 covers principal characteristics and test methods, and Part 4 gives an overview of data processing and design data exchange.

For powder feedstock characterization, ASTM F3049 ("Standard Guide for Characterizing Properties of Metal Powders Used for Additive Manufacturing Processes") covers apparent and tap density, Hall and Carney flow, particle size distribution, pycnometry, and related metrics; the current edition is F3049-14(2021). For material and finished-part specifications under ASTM F42 (metals, powder bed fusion), the core set is summarized in the table below.

Aerospace programs layer the SAE AMS 70xx / AMS 49xx AM material and process specifications on top of the ASTM and ISO set. Across all of these, the recurring discipline is the same: always confirm the exact edition or year and the applicable chemistry-limit table on the controlling specification, because limits differ between the standard, the grade, and the supplier datasheet. A spec that names "316L" without naming the controlling document and edition is incomplete.

Cross-Cutting Selection Criteria

Selection across the AM-material category follows a consistent sequence regardless of family. The order matters: most mistakes come not from a single wrong value but from deciding chemistry or properties before the process is fixed. The eight criteria below can serve as a fixed RFQ template for any AM feedstock.

1. Process compatibility first: the chosen AM process dictates feedstock form — powder PSD for PBF, viscosity and cure wavelength for resin, Tg and print temperature for filament. Match the feedstock to the machine before anything else.
2. Material chemistry to required properties: map strength, elongation and ductility, fatigue, temperature capability (Tg or service temp), corrosion, UV, and wear resistance, and biocompatibility onto candidate chemistries.
3. Post-processing dependency: specify whether quoted properties are as-built, stress-relieved, T6-aged, HIP'd (metals), or post-cured (resins) — they differ substantially and anisotropically. HIP closes porosity and restores ductility and isotropy in metals.
4. Density and defect tolerance: target relative density of at least 99.5 percent as-built, or at least 99.9 percent with optimization or HIP for load-bearing metal parts.
5. Powder lifecycle economics: define refresh ratio and reuse limits for polymer and metal powder beds; track recycled-powder property knockdown plus traceability and lot control.
6. Two-step shrinkage (BJT / bound-metal / ceramic): account for debind and sinter shrinkage and the resulting dimensional accuracy in CAD compensation.
7. Standards and certification: for regulated industries (aerospace, medical), require conformance to the relevant ASTM, ISO, or AMS material spec plus lot certificates and powder characterization per ASTM F3049.
8. Supply and qualification cost: weigh atomization route (gas versus plasma), lot-to-lot consistency, and the qualification burden, all of which drive total cost and lead time.

One dimension deserves emphasis because it is easy to underweight at the quoting stage: the post-processing condition is part of the material specification, not a downstream detail. Quoting a Ti-6Al-4V "UTS above 1200 MPa" without stating "as-built" misrepresents the deliverable part, whose HIP'd ductility and isotropy look very different. The same caution applies to resin "tensile up to about 70 MPa," which is tied to a specific tough-SLA formulation and post-cure, and to recycled-powder properties, which carry a measurable knockdown. State the condition, cite the range, and verify against the lot certificate.

Sourcing and Sub-categories

The AM-material supply base is segmented by family, and most suppliers specialize in one or two forms. The list below names representative, verified suppliers by family so a buyer can shortlist by feedstock type rather than by brand alone. Inclusion here is editorial reference, not endorsement or paid placement, and ranking is relevance-first.

• Metal powders: Höganäs (VIGA gas atomization; Fe/Ni/Co-based), Sandvik Additive Manufacturing (stainless, Ti, specialty), Carpenter Technology / Carpenter Additive (stainless, Ti, Ni, CoCr), GKN Powder Metallurgy / GKN Hoeganaes (atomized powders), and Voestalpine. Renishaw also supplies qualified AM metal powders.
• Polymer powders & systems: EOS, Evonik (PA12), Stratasys, and BASF / Forward AM (feedstock-centric, including filaments and bound-metal).
• Photopolymer resins / desktop & dental: Formlabs and Stratasys (PolyJet), plus material partners.
• Bound-metal & filament: BASF Forward AM (Ultrafuse 316L / 17-4PH).
• Binder-jet sand & ceramics: ExOne (foundry-grade sand plus binders), plus ceramic AM specialists for alumina, zirconia, and SiC.

When sourcing, pair each supplier shortlist with the selection criteria from Chapter 5 — process compatibility, post-processing condition, standards conformance per ASTM F3049 and the relevant ASTM F42 finished-part spec, and lot traceability. Because market-size figures and some property values vary by source, treat supplier datasheet numbers as the controlling values for a given lot, and reconcile them against the governing standard edition.

This is a parent category. The closest adjacent leaf categories under Materials & Raw Stock › Powder & New Material are listed below, including the Materials & Raw Stock hub itself. These sub-category links are preserved so engineers can move directly to the more specific feedstock pages.