Treatment and finishing of additive manufacturing parts: between industrial requirements and innovation
♦ 90 participants ♦ 24 conferences ♦ 4 exhibitors
On April 1 and 2, INSA Lyon hosted a new edition of the A3TS Technical Days devoted to the treatment and finishing of parts produced by additive manufacturing. Organized every two years in partnership with the France Titane association, these days have become a not-to-be-missed event for players in the industry.
This 2025 edition attracted almost 90 participants, who came to discuss current technical challenges and emerging innovations. The richness of the exchanges and the diversity of the profiles present confirmed the importance of these days to support the industrialization of additive manufacturing.
The participants were distributed as follows:
50% from industrial companies using FA in their production processes,
20% from laboratories and technical centers,
30% representatives of suppliers of FA or finishing solutions.
The sectors represented reflect the diversity of industrial applications, with a marked presence in the aerospace, luxury goods, defense, energy and medical sectors.
The exhibition area enabled four exhibitors to present their solutions:
BINC INDUSTRIES,
INCUS,
POLYTECH,
POLITECHNO.
During these days, the challenges of finishing additive manufacturing parts appear more crucial than ever in a context where the industrialization of these parts is confronted with the technical and economic limits of post-processing.
Following an overview of the current state of the art, presented by major customers from the energy, aerospace, defense and general industrial sectors (EDF, Safran, Naval Group, Vallourec and Framatome), a number of innovative post-fabrication processes were presented, both in terms of heat treatments and finishing treatments designed to improve the surface characteristics of parts produced by additive manufacturing. On the latter point, while no single finishing process seems capable of meeting all industrial requirements, the sequential or hybrid combination of different technologies appears to be an extremely promising way forward.
Finally, the relationship between post-processing of FA materials and their functional properties was also discussed. Discussions highlighted the need to adapt specifications to this family of materials, which is still viewed through the prism of conventional materials. It is also necessary to continue investigating the relationship between part manufacturing parameters, post-fabrication heat and finishing treatments and functional properties, whether mechanical, hydraulic or thermal.
