The Influence of the Process Parameters on the Microstructure and Properties SLM Processed 316L Stainless Steel

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is a modern manufacturing method with many applications in medicine, aerospace and automotive industries. SLM processed materials are characterized by good dimensional accuracy and properties comparable or superior to materials obtained by traditional processing methods. In this paper an SLM process was used to obtain 316L stainless steel parts. This paper presents the microstructure, chemical and phase composition, physicochemical and electrochemical properties of 12 groups of tested samples, differentiated by the SLM processing parameters. Based on the investigation, it can be inferred that the selection of the appropriate SLM parameters is very important to determined final material properties. The samples produced with the energy density E = 600 J/mm3 were observed to possess optimum properties – a homogeneous structure, density closest to the desired one, good wettability and pitting corrosion resistance.