Improving of mechanical properties of printed maraging steel

This contribution investigates the effects of process parameter changes on residual stresses in printed maraging steel X3NiCoMoTi18-9-5. A series of samples was produced using direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) on an EOS M290 machine. Printed components typically exhibit undesirable tensile residual stresses (RS), which can lead to deformations and cracks. To reduce RS, different parameter sets were tested. The following parameters were tested: change of the build strategy from stripes to chessboard, time homogenization, change of the complex VED parameter, thermal treatment modification, and building platform preheating change. Residual stress evaluation was performed using the drilling method in subsurface area and X-ray diffraction in the surface area.