Additive manufacturing of alloys with programmable microstructure and properties

In metallurgy, mechanical deformation is essential to engineer the microstructure of metals and to tailor their mechanical properties. However, this practice is inapplicable to near-net-shape metal parts produced by additive manufacturing (AM), since it would irremediably compromise their carefully designed geometries. In this work, we show how to circumvent this limitation by controlling the dislocation density and thermal stability of a steel alloy produced by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology. We show that by manipulating the alloy's solidification structure, we can 'program' recrystallization upon heat treatment without using mechanical deformation. When employed site-specifically, our strategy…

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• AN
  Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
• NR
  National Research Foundation
• AF
  Agency for Science, Technology and Research

  Awards: M22L2b0111, 142 68 00088
• NR
  National Research Foundation Singapore

  Award: NRF-NRFF2018-05
• NT
  Nanyang Technological University
• SN
  Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung

  Awards: 193799, SNF Sinergia 193799