Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) gives manufacturers of high-performance nickel alloy components new options for production, including complex geometries, part consolidation, and faster product development. Yet a successfully printed part is not automatically ready for service. Rapid solidification, cyclic thermal exposure, elemental segregation, and residual stress create microstructures that respond differently to thermal processing than wrought material, and heat-treatment schedules developed for wrought alloys often fail to deliver the same results.
In this new paper, EWI Principal Engineer Alber Sadek examines heat treatment as a critical process variable in LPBF manufacturing. It directly affects microstructure, mechanical properties, dimensional stability, and qualification success.
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Drawing on metallurgical investigations of two Inconel® (IN) alloys, IN625 and IN718, the paper shows how different post-build thermal processes produce materially different outcomes. It also explains why post-processing strategies must be validated for each alloy, build condition, and application.
Key topics explored in this paper include:
- Why wrought heat-treatment schedules often fall short for LPBF components
- How stress relief and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) change the as-built microstructure of LPBF IN625
- How post-build thermal processing affects precipitation strengthening in LPBF IN718
- Why cooling rate should be treated as a controlled heat-treatment variable
- How alloy-specific post-processing strategies support a more defensible path to qualification
To access the full paper for FREE, complete the form on this page.
To learn more, contact Alber Sadek, Principal Engineer, at [email protected].