Boron as an alloying element for improving mechanical properties of austenitic stainless steels in laser powder bed fusion

Laser powder bed fusion provides freedom for producing complex shapes from a variety of alloys. Moreover, it also gives the possibility to manipulate the chemical composition of material during the printing process to improve its properties. The widely use 316L stainless steel exhibits the good corrosion resistance, high ductility, but comparably low strength characteristics. Various approaches can be applied to relax this limitation. Herein we use boron-containing additives to the feedstock powder for improving the microhardness of 316L stainless steel. Boron was found to reduce the porosity of the printed materials and increases the microhardness from 210 to 350 HV. The ultimate tensile strength doubled to 1045 MPa. Such findings allow using the modified 316L steel for tool printing.

Automated summary

Laser powder bed fusion technology allows for the production of complex shapes in various alloys and the manipulation of material composition to improve properties. By adding boron, the microhardness and ultimate tensile strength of 316L stainless steel can be significantly improved, making it suitable for tool printing.