Abstract Scope |
Selective laser melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing (AM) process that uses the energy of a laser beam in order to selectively melt the metallic powder that have been spread on a substrate. Processing parameters (e.g. laser power, scanning strategy, etc.) are essential factors that contribute to the mechanical and microstructural properties of SLM-fabricated parts. In this work 16 SLM-fabricated blocks (made of 316L stainless steel) that were built under different processing parameters were investigated. Effect of energy density (70, 100 and 150 (J/mm3)), scanning strategy (alternate hatches, single pass of laser beam, alternate hatches, multiple passes of laser beam and cross hatches, single pass of laser beam) and scanning speed (6 different speeds) on mechanical properties such as microhardness, ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, elongation and relative density was studied. Furthermore, effect of said parameters on microstructure of the samples was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. |