Effect of Additive Machines and Powders on Mechanical Properties of Stainless Steel 316L Manufactured by L-PBF

Abstract

Recently, additive manufacturing (AM) has been a useful technology to fabricate complex parts. However, more consideration and technological developments are required for the expansion of the AM process in various industries. In particular, verification for repeatability and reproducibility of AM parts are very difficult issues when the AM parts are used in specific industries, such as nuclear and aerospace. In this respect, the change in the mechanical properties according to the relationship between AM parameters, machines, and powders is a very important area of research. In this study, four different L-PBF machines and three different powders from different suppliers were used to fabricate stainless steel 316L AM materials using same or similar AM parameters. In addition, tensile tests were conducted on all AM materials to obtain mechanical properties. The test results confirmed that differences in the mechanical properties were observed in the same AM process parameters of different machines and powder conditions.