With the rapid development of modern computer technology,the additive manufacturing（AM）technology which is different from traditional manufacturing processes has been widely used in many industrial fields,which has gradually become the typical representative of intelligent manufacturing technology. Among those AM technologies,the metal wire additive manufacturing（MWAM）has gradually become the focus of AM research worldwide due to its advantages of high deposition rate,low cost and high material utilization rate. This paper introduces the classification,the application range,the advantages and disadvantages of MWAM as well as its current research state. The study focused on the current development and application of MWAM technology,and then the future research goals and trends are also discussed.