Abstract
Electron beam melting (EBM) is currently hampered by the low number of materials available for processing. This work presents an experimental study of process parameter development related to EBM processing of stainless steel alloy 316LN. Area energy (AE) input and beam deflection rate were varied to produce a wide array of samples in order to determine which combination of process parameters produced dense (>99%) material. Both microstructure and tensile properties were studied. The aim was to determine a process window which results in dense material. The range of AE which produced dense materials was found to be wider for 316LN than for many other reported materials, especially at lower beam deflection rates. Tensile and microstructural analysis showed that increasing the beam deflection rate, and consequently lowering the AE, resulted in material with a smaller grain size, lower ductility, lower yield strength, and a narrower window for producing material that is neither porous nor swelling.
Highlights
One advantage that laser-based powder bed fusion methods still have over the electron beam melting (EBM) method is the sheer number of different materials available for processing
This study presents a well-defined process window for 316LN stainless steel, along with an investigation into the relationship between varying process parameters
Increasing the beam deflection rate and lowering the area energy counterintuitively led to a wider melt track
Summary
One advantage that laser-based powder bed fusion (laser-PBF) methods still have over the electron beam melting (EBM) method is the sheer number of different materials available for processing. 316L, and other researchers [8,9,10,11] have presented work on EBM of 316LN, which is a nitrogen-enriched version of 316L, without disclosing their process development methods. Using 316L(N) for additive manufacturing is not novel in itself; laser-PBF [12,13,14] and directed energy deposition [15,16,17] methods have been used to process 316L feedstock into solid parts. The novelty is found with the adaptation of the EBM process to the 316LN powder feedstock, and where previously mentioned research has demonstrated the feasibility of using EBM for 316LN for producing parts, this work explores the processing parameter space for which good, solid parts can be manufactured
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
