Due to high productivity, additive manufacturing (AM), and especially Directed Energy Deposition using laser and metallic powder (DED-LB/M) is attractive for manufacturing tools with integrated functionalities. This investigation was dedicated to DED-LB/M manufacturing of experimental maraging tool steel, characterization of the build microstructure with advanced electron microscopy and evaluation of hardness properties. High printability and low porosity of the final builds were observed, relative density was not lower than 99.5% for specimens manufactured with 600 W and 800 W, but microstructure and properties of the build had a gradient along the height. The characteristic hardness profile and microstructure, which were dependent on the manufacturing parameters, were observed. The top layers of manufactured maraging steel samples had a structure of martensite with precipitates presumably formed during solidification. The top layers were therefore softer to the depth of the austenitization isotherm. The higher hardness was measured in the inner regions which was a result of an in-situ heat treatment that the manufactured material was subjected to during layer-by-layer manufacturing. Thermal cycles during manufacturing resulted in precipitation hardening effect in the inner regions. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the formation film-like and round particles in the as-build material, in top and inner regions. However, the quasicrystalline nano-sized R′-phase precipitates were observed only in the inner regions. The formation of the R′-phase precipitated during manufacturing as a result of the in-situ heat treatment was discussed as a reason for higher hardness (440 – 450 HV1) measured in the inner regions. 

Microstructure and properties of as-built laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) steels differ from the conventional ones, and they may contain some porosity and lack of fusion. Therefore, post-treatments, including hot isostatic pressing (HIP), are used to density the material, and tailor the properties of the final product. Usually, HIP is performed as an operation separate from heat treatment. In the present investigation a new approach was used, in which the whole cycle of the heat treatment was carried out in HIP under pressure, and the influence of HIP on microstructure of an advanced stainless maraging tool steel manufactured by LPBF was investigated. For a comparison, a conventional steel grade of the same chemical composition, after a heat treatment at the same temperature-time conditions, was also characterized. The microstructure of the steel was investigated by means of advanced microscopy and atom probe tomography. The influence of the manufacturing route, heat treatment and HIP on microstructure, austenitic phase fraction and size distribution of precipitates was investigated, and the role of high pressure in stabilization of austenite in the microstructure was discussed. It was concluded that since HIP influences phase transformations, a fundamental understanding of the influence of HIP on microstructure is nececcary, and development of new post processing regimes guaranteeing the best performance of the material is required.

The quality of the surface influences remarkably the fatigue life of additive manufactured components. This work proposes to study the influence of surface integrity on the bending fatigue life of Ti6Al4V manufactured by laser powder bed fusion. Rectangular specimens were manufactured horizontally and the last printed layer had laser track scanning directions (α=30°,60°,90°) in relation to the specimen length. The top surface 3D-roughness average was similar for all the specimens. The specimens were studied under as-built and heat-treated conditions. A correlation between laser track scanning direction, 2D-roughness parameters, and fatigue life for as-built specimens was found. The as-built specimens with 90° and 30° direction showed the shortest and the longest fatigue life, respectively. Heat-treated specimens showed a shorter fatigue life independently of the surface roughness. This could be explained by other surface integrity factors influencing fatigue performance of the material, such as the presence of subsurface porosity and surface oxygen enrichment. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The influence of a stress-relief treatment on impact and fatigue properties of Ti6Al4V ELI samples manufactured by laser powder bed fusion was analyzed. The heat treatment resulted in removal of residual stresses, coarsening of needles and formation of precipitations between needles. In both, impact and fatigue tests, crack development was correlated to microstructural features. Fracture analysis was carried out by means of optical and electron microscopy to reveal the influence of microstructure on crack development. Ductile fracture was the dominating fracture mode at impact testing. Pore formation and coalescence were the main crack formation mechanisms. The microstructural changes led to a decrease in impact toughness after heat treatment. Presumably, this was a result of the precipitations between needles. Fatigue results showed multiple crack nucleation at the surface in both, as-built and stress-relieved material. The crack propagation rate was slightly higher and the crack was less deflected in the stress-relieved material due to the stress relief and coarsening of the microstructure.

Additive manufacturing (AM) is an attractive manufacturing technology in tooling applications. It provides unique opportunities to manufacture tools with complex shapes, containing inner channels for conformal cooling. In this investigation, H13, a widely used tool steel, was manufactured using a laser powder bed fusion method. Microstructure, tensile mechanical properties, hardness, and porosity of the AM H13 after stress relieve (SR), standard hardening and tempering (SR + HT), and hot isostatic pressing (SR + HIP + HT) were investigated. It was found that the microstructure of directly solidified colonies of prior austenite, which is typical for AM, disappeared after austenitizing at the hardening heat treatment. In specimens SR + HT and SR + HIP + HT, a microstructure similar to the conventional but finer was observed. Electron microscopy showed that SR and SR + HT specimens contained lack of fusion, and spherical gas porosity, which resulted in remarkable scatter in the observed elongation to break values. Application of HIP resulted in the highest strength values, higher than those observed for conventional H13 heat treated in the same way. The conclusion is that HIP promotes reduction of porosity and lack of fusion defects and can be efficiently used to improve the mechanical properties of AM H13 tool steel.

This article deals with the understanding of the influence of surface topography on fatigue behavior of Ti6Al4V alloy specimens produced by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). The same laser parameters and scan strategy were used for all specimens, giving a sample density higher than 99.5 %. Two different surface topographies were obtained by using the top and side surfaces of the specimens. The surface topography and morphology were investigated by optical surface profilometry and focus variation microscopy. Four-point bending fatigue test was performed on specimens with top and side surfaces as the highest stressed surface respectively. Machined specimens were used as reference. The features of the fracture surface, such as crack initiation and propagation, were analyzed by focus variation and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both, fatigue results and fracture surface investigations, were correlated and discussed in relation to surface topography and microstructure, as well as manufacturing parameters. 

This article overviews the scientific results of the microstructural features observed in 316 L stainless steel manufactured by the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) method obtained by the authors, and discusses the results with respect to the recently published literature. Microscopic features of the LPBF microstructure, i.e., epitaxial nucleation, cellular structure, microsegregation, porosity, competitive colony growth, and solidification texture, were experimentally studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, diffraction methods, and atom probe tomography. The influence of laser power and laser scanning speed on the microstructure was discussed in the perspective of governing the microstructure by controlling the process parameters. It was shown that the three-dimensional (3D) zig-zag solidification texture observed in the LPBF 316 L was related to the laser scanning strategy. The thermal stability of the microstructure was investigated under isothermal annealing conditions. It was shown that the cells formed at solidification started to disappear at about 800 °C, and that this process leads to a substantial decrease in hardness. Colony boundaries, nevertheless, were quite stable, and no significant grain growth was observed after heat treatment at 1050 °C. The observed experimental results are discussed with respect to the fundamental knowledge of the solidification processes, and compared with the existing literature data.

To remove residual stresses, an as-built SLM object is usually posttreated. This treatment can affect the microstructure, changing the final mechanical characteristics. This investigation is focused on the microstructural characterisation of 316L austenitic stainless steel in as-built and annealed conditions. The SLM microstructure was relatively stable up to 900°C, when cell boundaries start to disappear. At higher temperatures, an insignificant grain coarsening was detected. These microstructural changes caused a gradual drop in the hardness. The obtained result is background for the future development of post-treatment regimens to achieve a high level in the final mechanical properties of SLM objects.