Effect of scanning strategies on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of 316L stainless steel fabricated by selective laser melting

Five scanning strategies were applied for relating the microstructural and crystallographic morphology to the mechanical properties of 316L stainless steel fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM). The results indicate that scanning strategies have a significant effect on the microstructure, grain growth, grain size and therefore mechanical properties of SLM-built 316L stainless steel. Applying the scanning strategy with the rotation angle between successive layers breaks the columnar growth of grains and fine equiaxial grains are formed, leading to an improvement of tensile strength and good ductility of SLM-built samples. Moreover, the microhardness is improved by applying the scanning strategy with a rectangular pattern. This work demonstrates the scanning strategy during SLM process acts as an essential factor affecting energy input, and therefore tailors the meso-/micro-scale structure and mechanical behavior of metals.