Book excerpt: This book provides a solid background for understanding the immediate past, the ongoing present, and the emerging trends of additive manufacturing, with an emphasis on innovations and advances in its use for a wide spectrum of manufacturing applications. It contains contributions from leading authors in the field, who view the research and development progress of additive manufacturing techniques from the unique angle of developing high-performance composites and other complex material parts. It is a valuable reference book for scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs who are seeking technologically novel and economically viable innovations for high-performance materials and critical applications. It can also benefit graduate students and post-graduate fellows majoring in mechanical, manufacturing, and material sciences, as well as biomedical engineering.