Additive Layer Manufacture of Tensile Tests Specimens in Stainless Steel 316L by Laser Consolidation

The major interest in the field of Additive Layer Manufacturing is at present the emancipation from prototyping towards industrial production. To this aim, a significant limitation is still the difficulty in predicting part characteristics and ensure robustness and repeatability. Laser Consolidation (LC) is a powder-fed process producing net-shape sheet-like metal components with good metallurgical soundness, high strength and ductility. The specific LC head configuration is likely to cause direction dependant features varying not only along and perpendicular to the build direction, but also within each layer. Aim of the research is to investigate the mechanical properties and microstructure of AISI 316L parts built by LC, with a specific focus on the effects of the direction of build, either axially aligned with the head or orthogonal to it. The results confirmed high hardness and strength and excellent ductility of LC parts. Anisotropy of mechanical response was quantified and related to microstructure.