Impact of contour scanning and helium-rich process gas on performances of Alloy 718 lattices produced by laser powder bed fusion

•Less spatters were detected during printing Alloy 718 without contour scanning and with additions of He to the Ar gas.•The microstructure, dimensional accuracy and behaviour under compression were unaffected by the process gas type.•Promising results for process stability and to limit powder bed degradation, enhance powder reusability and the process sustainability.•With contour scanning, dimensional accuracy and compression strength are maximized.•Alloy 718 gyroid lattices produced by laser powder bed fusion exhibit a remarkably smooth and continuous hardening behaviour.