Mechanical properties of the laser powder deposition and laser powder bed fusion printed 316L

Abstract

Metal 3D printing technologies have made it possible to produce different parts, but the mechanical properties of the parts connected using different 3D printing technologies have not yet been sufficiently studied. In the study, 316L stainless steel was laser powder deposited (DED) with laser cladding head on the laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) printed 316L and the joint was investigated experimentally. The microstructure of the joint was examined from the cross-sections of the joint by optical microscopy. The mechanical properties of the joint were evaluated by hardness measurements and tensile strength tests. The microstructure of the deposited structure was similar to the typical 316L printed structure, but at the joint, due to the higher heat input of the DED process, an increase in grain size was clearly visible. Based on the hardness measurements, the hardness profile of the joint was very even, and the average hardness was approximately 305 HV. The tensile strength of the PBF-LB and DED joint was 549 MPa which is approximately 11% lower than the tensile strength of PBF-LB printed 316L.