Laser Additive Manufacturing of Bio-inspired Metallic Structures

High-performance/multifunctional metallic components primarily determine the service performance of equipment applied in the aerospace, aviation, and automobile industries. Organisms have developed structures with specific properties over millions of years of natural evolution, thereby providing inspiration for the design of high-performance structures to satisfy the increasing demands of modern industries. From the perspective of manufacturing, the ability of conventional processing technologies is inadequate for fabricating these complex structural configurations. By contrast, laser additive manufacturing (AM) is an effective method for fabricating complex metallic bio-inspired structures owing to its layer-by-layer deposition advantage. Herein, recent developments in the laser AM of bio-inspired cellular, plate, and truss structures, as well as the materials used in laser AM for bio-inspired printing are briefly reviewed. The organisms being imitated include butterfly, Norway spruce, mantis shrimp, beetle, and water spider, which expand the diversity of multifunctional structures for laser AM. The mechanical properties and functions of laser-AM-processed bio-inspired structures are discussed. Additionally, the challenges, possible outcomes, and directions of utilizing laser AM technology to fabricate high-performance/multifunctional metallic bio-inspired structures in the future are outlined.