The Effects of LENS Process Parameters on the Behaviour of 17-4 PH Stainless Steel

Abstract

17-4 PH stainless steel has proven to be one of the workhorse materials in industries such as aerospace, chemical, and energy. The attraction of this alloy to the aforementioned industries is derived from the fact that 17-4 PH stainless steel possesses a combination of excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Manufacturing of 17-4 PH stainless steel through 3D printing will further inspire confidence in the aforementioned industries. The current study investigated the effects of LENS process parameters on porosity, microstructure, and microhardnesss. The scanning speed and powder feed rate were varied at 7.62 mm/s-12.7 mm/s and 4.70 g/min-5.98 g/min rpm, respectively, while laser power was kept constant at 300 W. The optimum scanning for both 4.70 g/min and 5.98 g/min was 10. 16 mm/s and 12.7 mm/s, respectively. The current study deduced that varying both scanning speed and powder feed rate had an impact on both the microstructure and microhardness.