Effects of increasing layer thickness in the laser powder bed fusion of inconel 718

With the advancement of the Additive Manufacturing technology in the fields of metals, a lot of interest has developed in Laser Powder Bed (LPBF) for the Aerospace and Automotive industries. With primary challenges like high cost and time associated with this process reducing the build time is a critical component. Being a layer by layer process increasing layer thickness causes a decrease in manufacturing time. In this study, effects of the change in layer thickness in the Laser Powder Bed Fusion of Inconel 718 were evaluated. The effects were investigated for 30, 60 and 80 μm layer thicknesses and were evaluated for Relative Density, Surface Roughness and Mechanical properties, for as-printed specimens not subjected to any heat treatment. The process was optimized to print dense pasts by varying three parameters: power, velocity and hatch distance. Significant change in some properties like true Ultimate Tensile Testing (UTS), %Necking and Yield Stress was observed.