Direct Energy Depositions of a 17-4 PH Stainless Steel: Geometrical and Microstructural Characterizations

Direct energy deposition (DED) is a widely accepted additive manufacturing process and a possible alternative to the subtractive manufacturing processes due to its high flexibility in fabricating new 3D parts. DED enables the manufacture of complex parts without using costly and time-consuming conventional processes, even though building parameters need to be accurately determined. In the present investigation, the effect of different process parameters on geometrical features, quality, microstructure, and microhardness of 17-4 PH stainless steel single tracks deposited onto an AISI 316L stainless steel substrate was investigated. Four sets of process parameters, considering different values of laser power, scanning speed, and powder feed rate, were selected in the manufacturing strategy, and specimens drawn from each single-track deposition were analyzed by stereomicroscopy, optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that the optimized geometrical features of the track, together with the best microstructural and hardness properties, were obtained with the highest values of the laser energy input.