Abstract: Additive manufacturing (AM) of metals, including aluminium, is being explored towards implementation in various industries, from biomedical, aerospace, automotive, machine fabrication, heat exchangers to various other energy applications. By AM near net shaped products with complex geometries can be fabricated, optimised in design for weight saving, with little material waste, lower energy consumption, potential for custom fitting, rapid spare parts production, and – now being studied quite intensely – repair of worn products for lifetime extension. These AM metals present us with new bulk and surface properties as they have unique microstructures, due to the fast melting and solidification conditions typical of metal AM, that are quite remote from the conventional microstructures created during rolling, extrusion or casting. As such, the corrosion mechanisms are also quite unique, mostly related to the finer distribution of phases and subcellular structures. We need to consider and possibly adapt surface treatments to mitigate corrosion. Anodising and electrochemical conversion, like the zirconium conversion process, are being studied for this reason. The formation mechanisms of these surface protection layers are again showing unique features, but while the surface oxide layers form differently than on the conventional surfaces, they can also provide corrosion protection, opening the path towards optimization/adaptation for these future metal surfaces coming our way in all industrial sectors.