Low-Power Laser Powder Bed Fusion Processing of Scalmalloy®

Abstract

Among recently developed high-strength and lightweight alloys, the high-performance Scalmalloy® certainly stands out for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) production. The primary goal of this study was to optimize the Scalmalloy® LPBF process parameters by setting power values suitable for the use of lab-scale machines. Despite that these LPBF machines are commonly characterized by considerably lower maximum power values (around 100 W) compared to industrial-scale machines (up to 480 W), they are widely used when quick setup and short processing time are needed and a limited amount of powder is available. In order to obtain the optimal process parameters, the influence of volumetric energy density (VED) on the sample porosity, microstructure and mechanical properties was accurately studied. The obtained results reveal the stability of the microstructural and mechanical behaviour of the alloy for VEDs higher than 175 Jmm−3. In this way, an energy-and-time-saving choice at low VEDs can be taken for the LPBF production of Scalmalloy®. After identifying the low-power optimized process parameters, the effects of the heat treatment on the microstructural and mechanical properties were investigated. The results prove that low-VED heat-treated samples produced with an LPBF lab-scale machine can achieve outstanding mechanical performance compared with the results of energy-intensive industrial production.