The Influence of Layer Thickness on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of M300 Maraging Steel Additively Manufactured by LENS® Technology

This work investigates the effect of layer thickness on the microstructure and mechanical properties of M300 maraging steel produced by Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS®) technique. The microstructure was characterized using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical properties were characterized by tensile tests and microhardness measurements. The porosity and mechanical properties were found to be highly dependent on the layer thickness. Increasing the layer thickness increased the porosity of the manufactured parts while degrading their mechanical properties. Moreover, etched samples revealed a fine cellular dendritic microstructure; decreasing the layer thickness caused the microstructure to become fine-grained. Tests showed that for samples manufactured with the chosen laser power, a layer thickness of more than 0.75 mm is too high to maintain the structural integrity of the deposited material.

Characterization of Cobalt-Based Stellite 6 Alloy Coating Fabricated by Laser-Engineered Net Shaping (LENS)

The results of microstructure and mechanical properties evaluation of a Stellite 6 (Co-6) alloy deposited on X22CrMoV12-1 substrate by the laser-engineered net shaping (LENSTM) technology are presented in this paper. The Stellite 6 alloy is widely used in industry due to its excellent wear resistance at elevated temperatures and corrosive environments. Specific properties of this alloy are useful in many applications, e.g., as protective coatings in steam turbine components. In this area, the main problems are related to the fabrication of coatings on complex-shaped parts, the low metallurgical quality of obtained coatings, and its insufficient adhesion to a substrate. The results of recently performed investigations proved that the LENS technology is one of the most effective manufacturing techniques of the Co-6 alloy coatings (especially deposited on complex-shaped turbine parts). The microstructural and phase analyses of obtained Stellite 6 coatings were carried out by light microscopy techniques and X-ray diffraction analysis. A chemical homogeneity of Co-6 based layers and a fluctuation of chemical composition in coating–substrate zone after the laser deposition were analyzed using an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer coupled with scanning electron microscopy. The room temperature strength and ductility of the LENS processed layers were determined in static bending tests.

Suitability of Laser Engineered Net Shaping Technology for Inconel 625 Based Parts Repair Process

In this paper, the Inconel 625 laser clads characterized by microstructural homogeneity due to the application of the Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS, Optomec, Albuquerque, NM, USA) technology were studied in detail. The optimized LENS process parameters (laser power of 550 W, powder flow rate of 19.9 g/min, and heating of the substrate to 300 °C) enabled to deposit defect-free laser cladding. Additionally, the laser clad was applied in at least three layers on the repairing place. The deposited laser clads were characterized by slightly higher mechanical properties in comparison to the Inconel 625 substrate material. Microscopic observations and X-ray Tomography (XRT, Nikon Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) confirmed, that the substrate and cladding interface zone exhibited a defect-free structure. Mechanical properties and flexural strength of the laser cladding were examined using microhardness and three-point bending tests. It was concluded, that the LENS technology could be successfully applied for the repair since a similar strain distribution was found after Digital Image Correlation measurements during three-point bending tests.

Investigations of wear resistance of composite coatings (cobalt alloy-WC) produced by the LENS method

Metallic coatings strengthened by the reinforcing phase are among the widely used wear-resistant materials. The work attempted to produce composite coatings in the metallic matrix system (cobalt alloy) – reinforcing phase (tungsten carbide) fabricated by the Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) technique. The obtained coatings were assessed by metallurgical quality (microscopic observations), microhardness test in coating-substrate transition zone and tests of abrasive wear resistance under dry friction conditions. For this purpose, two different test methods were used: the ball-on-disc method and the rubber wheel abrasion test method. For each method, the same test parameters were used, such as force and number of disc/ roller rotations. The conducted tests showed that the weight loss of the coatings subjected to wear resistance tests in loose abrasive was much greater compared to the ball-on-disc method.