Abstract
This work is focused on the influence of heat treatment of a part produced by the SLM (selective laser melting) method of stainless steel, 316L. Two heat treatment regimens were tested and compared with the state without heat treatment. Subsequently, TIG (tungsten inert gas) welds were created on the base materials processed in this way. All welds were subjected to mechanical tests and microstructural analysis. The tensile test was performed both for the welded joint and for the base material in the transverse and longitudinal directions. The tensile strength values of the samples with the welded joint were compared with the values required for the base material, 316L forged steel (1.4404). Microstructural analysis revealed significant differences between samples with and without heat treatment. The results of these tests are supported by SEM analysis. EDAX (energy dispersive analysis of X-rays) semiquantitative analysis confirmed the presence of ultra-fine pores in the structure. The results of mechanical tests show that the solution annealing at 1040 °C for 0.5 h gives better results than the same heat treatment with a duration of 2 h.
Highlights
The selective laser melting (SLM) process enables the production of strong, lightweight, and complex metal structures [1]
This work is a contribution to the development of SLM technology, especially in the field of post-processing, which is an important part of additive technologies
The obtained results lead to clarification of the influence of welding and heat treatment on the mechanical properties and microstructure of the weld joint of 3D-printed steel, AISI316L
Summary
The selective laser melting (SLM) process enables the production of strong, lightweight, and complex metal structures [1]. SLM is one of the most promising metal 3D printing technologies available today. It is commonly used for rapid prototyping but is already slowly reaching mass production, especially for smaller pieces and batches [2]. The range of available printable metal alloys for the SLM method is currently limited to a few selected materials, mainly to guarantee their weldability between vectors and layers. The SLM method commonly offers the production of stainless steel, tool steel, Inconel, chromium–. Chen’s team made a successful attempt, which managed to find the right printing parameters and subsequently printed a multimaterial based on 316/CuSn10 using SLM [4]
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