Milling of maraging steel components produced by selective laser melting

This paper presents an experimental study of milling operations performed on 18Ni(300) maraging steel components produced by selective laser melting (SLM). The aim was to identify the manufacturing process chain to obtain the best properties of finished 18Ni(300) molds produced by a combination of additive and subtractive manufacturing methods. The SLM process variables taken into consideration were the build direction and post-build heat treatment, while cutting speed was considered as the only process variable for the milling phase. Surface roughness and hardness, cutting forces and tool wear were considered for the evaluation of the optimal manufacturing process parameters.