Hybrid manufacturing is often used to describe a combination of additive and subtractive processes in the same build envelope. In this research study, hybrid manufacturing of 18Ni-300 maraging steel was investigated using a Matsuura LUMEX Avance-25 system that integrates metal additive manufacturing using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) processing with high-speed machining. A series of benchmarking coupons were additively printed at four different power levels (160 W, 240 W, 320 W, 380 W) and with the integration of sequential machining passes after every 10 deposited layers, as well as final finishing of selected surfaces. Using non-contact three-dimensional laser scanning, inspection of the final geometry of the 18Ni-300 maraging steel coupons against the computer-aided design (CAD) model indicated the good capability of the Matsuura LUMEX Avance-25 system for net-shape manufacturing. Linear and areal roughness measurements of the surfaces showed average Ra/Sa values of 8.02–14.64 µm for the as-printed walls versus 0.32–0.80 µm for the machined walls/faces. Using Archimedes and helium (He) gas pycnometry methods, the part density was measured to be lowest for coupons produced at 160 W (relative density of 93.3–98.5%) relative to those at high power levels of 240 W to 380 W (relative density of 99.0–99.8%). This finding agreed well with the results of the porosity size distribution determined through X-ray micro-computed tomography (µCT). Evaluation of the static tensile properties indicated that the coupons manufactured at the lowest power of 160 W were ~30% lower in strength, 24% lower in stiffness, and more than 80% lower in ductility relative to higher power conditions (240 W to 380 W) due to the lower density at 160 W.

This study investigated the application of an in envelope additive/subtractive (LPBF) manufacturing method (Matsuura LUMEX-Avance-25) to fabricate IN718 benchmarking coupons. The coupons were then examined comprehensively for surface finish both with and without high-speed micro-machining. The microstructure of the manufactured IN718 coupons was investigated thoroughly in the as-fabricated condition and following three different standard and one non-standard post-processing heat treatments. As built coupons revealed columnar grain morphology mainly along the direction with a cellular dendritic sub-grain structure and without any strengthening precipitates. Grain size, aspect ratio, and texture were maintained after each of the applied four heat treatments. Only one of the standard heat treatments resulted in the δ phase formation. The other three heat treatments effectively dissolved the Laves phase preventing the δ formation while promoting the formation of γ′/γ″ precipitates. Despite the observed differences in their microstructures, all of the heat treatments resulted in similar yield and ultimate tensile strength values that ranged between 1103–1205 MPa and 1347–1387 MPa, respectively. These values are above the minimum requirements of 1034 MPa and 1241 MPa for the wrought material. The non-standard heat treatment provided the highest elongation of 24.0 ± 0.1% amongst all the heat-treated specimens without a significant loss in strength, while the standard heat treatment for the wrought parts resulted in the lowest elongation of 18.3 ± 0.7% due to the presence of δ phase.

The present work investigates the effectiveness of two heat treatment cycles—solution treatment + aging (STA) and direct aging (DA)—on optimizing the microstructure and enhancing the mechanical properties of 18Ni-300 maraging steel (300 MS) produced by additive–subtractive hybrid manufacturing (ASHM). The STA treatment led to a fully martensitic microstructure with minor remnants of the cellular substructures associated with the solidification conditions in ASHM. DA resulted in some reverted austenite and partial dissolution of the cellular morphologies into shorter fragments. Despite the contrasting microstructures, the tensile strength and the macro- and micro-hardness were comparable between STA and DA conditions. By contrast, the potential for improving the ductility was higher with the DA heat treatment. This is attributed to the higher reverted austenite content in the samples treated by DA, i.e., up to a maximum of 13.4% compared to less than 3.0% in the STA samples. For the DA sample with the highest reverted austenite content of 13.4%, the highest local and global fracture strain values of 30.1 and 5.9 ± 0.6% were measured, while the respective values were 23.4 and 4.4 ± 0.1% for the corresponding STA sample. This work suggests that DA of 300 MS produced by ASHM is sufficient to achieve comparable hardness and tensile strength to STA, whilst maintaining reasonable ductility. Avoiding the solution treatment cycle, with its appreciably higher temperatures, could benefit the dimensional stability and surface quality that are important for ASHM of 300 MS parts.

This research study investigated the hybrid processing of 316L stainless steel using laser powder bed (LPB) processing with high-speed machining in the same build envelope. Benchmarking at four laser powers (160 W, 240 W, 320 W, and 380 W) was undertaken by building additively with machining passes integrated sequentially after every ten deposited layers, followed by the final finishing of select surfaces. The final geometry was inspected against the computer-aided design (CAD) model and showed deviations smaller than 280 µm for the as-built and machined surfaces, which demonstrate the good efficacy of hybrid processing for the net-shape manufacturing of stainless steel products. The arithmetic average roughness values for the printed surfaces, Ra (linear) and Sa (surface), were 11.4 um and 14.9 um, respectively. On the other hand, the vertical and horizontal machined surfaces had considerably lower roughness, with Ra and Sa values ranging between 0.33 µm and 0.70 µm. The 160 W coupon contained layered, interconnected lack of fusion defects which affected the density (7.84 g·cm⁻³), yield strength (494 MPa), ultimate tensile strength (604 MPa), Young’s modulus (175 GPa), and elongation at break (17.3%). By contrast, at higher laser powers, near-full density was obtained for the 240 W (7.96 g·cm⁻³), 320 W (7.94 g·cm⁻³), and 380 W (7.92 g·cm⁻³) conditions. This, combined with the isolated nature of the small pores, led to the tensile properties surpassing the requirements stipulated in ASTM F3184—16 for 316L stainless steel.

In this study, the integrity of electron beam‐ (EB‐) welded CA6NM—a grade of 13% Cr‐4% Ni martensitic stainless steel—was assessed through the entire joint thickness of 90 mm after postweld heat treatment (PWHT). The joints were characterized by examining the microstructure, residual stresses, global mechanical properties (static tensile, Charpy impact, and bend), and local properties (yield strength and strain at fracture) in the metallurgically modified regions of the EB welds. The applied PWHT tempered the “fresh” martensite present in the microstructure after welding, which reduced sufficiently the hardness (<280 HV) and residual stresses (<100 MPa) to meet the requirements for hydroelectric turbine assemblies. Also, the properties of the EB joints after PWHT passed the minimum acceptance criteria specified in ASME sections VIII and IX. Specifically, measurement of the global tensile properties indicated that the tensile strengths of the EB welds in the transverse and longitudinal directions were on the same order as that of the base metal (BM). Evaluation of the local tensile properties using a digital image correlation (DIC) methodology showed higher local yield strengths in the fusion zone (FZ) and heat‐affected zone (HAZ) of 727 MPa and 740 MPa, respectively, relative to the BM value of 663 MPa. Also, the average impact energies for the FZ and HAZ were 63 J and 148 J, respectively, and attributed to the different failure mechanisms in the HAZ (dimples) versus the FZ (quasi‐cleavage consisting of facets and dimples). This study shows that the application of PWHT plays an important role in improving the weld quality and performance of EB‐welded CA6NM and provides the essential data for validating the design and manufacturing process for next‐generation hydroelectric turbine products.