The increased design freedom and potential to reduce manufacturing time has made additive manufacturing (AM) technology an area of great interest to industry. However, there is relatively little data about the properties and potential service performance of AM materials.
Now, TWI Ltd has embarked on a joint industry project alongside Lloyd’s Register, AECC BIAM, AVIC MTI, Chevron, and Sellafield with a view to introducing new data and guidance.
The project aims to improve AM knowledge and allow for the widespread adoption of the process within key industries.
The project will see an investigation into the deposition of 316L stainless steel through selective laser melting (SLM) and wire plus arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). This will allow for the production of a database detailing the material properties including and tensile strength, fracture toughness and corrosion resistance of 316L when manufactured by these AM processes. The project will target achieving acceptance of AM deposited 316L in Standards selected by the sponsor companies where possible and identification of the ‘path to acceptance’ in other cases. This project will create a path for AM material to be fit-for-use for final components.
