Abstract
Inconel 718 (IN718) is a nickel-based superalloy which is widely used in aerospace, oil, and gas industries due to its outstanding mechanical properties at high temperatures, corrosion, fatigue resistance, and excellent weldability. Selective laser melting (SLM), one of the most used powder-bed based methods, is being extensively used to fabricate functional IN718 components with high accuracy. The accuracy and the properties of the SLM fabricated IN718 parts highly depend on the process parameters employed during fabrication. Thus, depending on the desired properties, the process parameters for a given material need to be optimized for improving the overall reliability of the SLM devices. In this study, design of experiment (DOE) was used to evaluate the dimensional accuracy, composition, and hardness corresponding to the interaction between the SLM process parameters such as laser power (P), scan speed (v), and hatch spacing (h). Contour plots were generated by co-relating the determined values for each characteristic and the process parameters to improve the as-built characteristics of the fabricated IN718 parts and reduce the post-processing time. The outcome of this study shows a range of energy density values for the IN718 superalloy needed to attain optimal values for each of the analyzed characteristics. Finally, an optimal processing region for SLM IN718 fabrication was identified which is in accordance with the values for each characteristic mentioned in literature.
Highlights
Inconel 718 (IN718) is an age-hardenable nickel-based alloy that was developed in the 1960s by the International Nickel Company [1,2]
A similar trend is observed when the laser power and scan speed are kept constant at 256.5 W and 1056 mm/s, respectively, and the hatch spacing is increased from 99 μm to 121 μm, and the height of specimens increases by 51 μm from 5.971 mm to 6.022 mm
We see that the height values increase from 5.971 mm to 6.011 as the laser power is increased from 256.5 W to 313.5 W while maintaining the scan speed and hatch spacing constant at 1056 mm/s and 121 μm, respectively
Summary
Inconel 718 (IN718) is an age-hardenable nickel-based alloy that was developed in the 1960s by the International Nickel Company [1,2]. IN718 is one of the most commonly used superalloys and accounts for about 35% of all superalloys produced in the 1980s [6]. Due to these properties of IN718 superalloys, they have applications in fields such as nuclear power plants, gas turbines, aircraft engines, and combustion chambers [2]. The high presence of Fe and Co makes IN718 economical to use, making it one of the most used alloys in the field of oil and gas [7]. IN718 is composed of chromium, molybdenum, aluminum, titanium, cobalt, niobium, and nickel, with nickel
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
