Additive Manufacturing Technologies of High Entropy Alloys (HEA): Review and Prospects

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have gained considerable attention in recent years as an innovative method to produce high entropy alloy (HEA) components. The unique and excellent mechanical and environmental properties of HEAs can be used in various demanding applications, such as the aerospace and automotive industries. This review paper aims to inspect the status and prospects of research and development related to the production of HEAs by AM technologies. Several AM processes can be used to fabricate HEA components, mainly powder bed fusion (PBF), direct energy deposition (DED), material extrusion (ME), and binder jetting (BJ). PBF technologies, such as selective laser melting (SLM) and electron beam melting (EBM), have been widely used to produce HEA components with good dimensional accuracy and surface finish. DED techniques, such as blown powder deposition (BPD) and wire arc AM (WAAM), that have high deposition rates can be used to produce large, custom-made parts with relatively reduced surface finish quality. BJ and ME techniques can be used to produce green bodies that require subsequent sintering to obtain adequate density. The use of AM to produce HEA components provides the ability to make complex shapes and create composite materials with reinforced particles. However, the microstructure and mechanical properties of AM-produced HEAs can be significantly affected by the processing parameters and post-processing heat treatment, but overall, AM technology appears to be a promising approach for producing advanced HEA components with unique properties. This paper reviews the various technologies and associated aspects of AM for HEAs. The concluding remarks highlight the critical effect of the printing parameters in relation to the complex synthesis mechanism of HEA elements that is required to obtain adequate properties. In addition, the importance of using feedstock material in the form of mix elemental powder or wires rather than pre-alloyed substance is also emphasized in order that HEA components can be produced by AM processes at an affordable cost.