Alexander Leicht, Doctoral Student at Materials and manufacturer IMS, defends his doctoral thesis.
This thesis focuses on the design possibilities and resulting material properties of the laser powder bed fusion processed components in relation to the process parameters. Focus is placed on stainless steel parts, and the thesis investigates the correlation between the microstructure and the properties, component quality, and productivity. It is demonstrated that complex-shaped high-quality parts with properties as good as or better than materials produced via conventional technologies can easily be achieved at the current state of the art. The good mechanical properties are connected to a hierarchical microstructure, with features that span from millimeters to as small as nanometers, such as large elongated grains, melt pool boundaries, cells, and precipitates. This thesis demonstrates a strong effect of the part design and build orientation on both the microstructure and properties. Furthermore, by adjusting the process parameters, a four-fold increase in productivity was achieved without a significant change in the part quality. Such improved productivity increases the competitiveness of the process and allows for expansion into new, more price-sensitive sectors.
