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Optimization of Printing Parameters to Achieve High-Density 316L Stainless Steel Manufactured by Binder Jet 3D Printing

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Abstract

Binder jet 3D printing (BJ3DP) can manufacture large-scale complex and customizable metal parts with low cost and high efficiency, showing extensive application prospect in the field of manufacturing engineering. However, very few studies have focused on optimizing printing parameters to achieve near-full densification BJ3DP 316L stainless steel (SS) parts. Therefore, the printing-related parameters, i.e., layer thickness, roller traverse speed, and binder concentration, were optimized in the present study. The dimensional quality of green samples revealed that the layer thickness of 125 μm, binder concentration of 60%, and roller traverse speed of 20 pps were the optimal parameters for printing green samples. Following sintering, the BJ3DP 316L SS samples printed by the optimal parameters exhibited a relative density of ~ 99.5%, along with X-/Y-/Z-direction linear shrinkages of ~ 18.7, ~ 17.4, and ~ 19.8%, respectively, in good agreement with those of the simulation results. Z-direction showed the highest value of linear shrinkage due to the presence of gravity during sintering. Meanwhile, the sintered 316L SS samples printed by the optimal parameters possess Vickers hardness of ~ 192 HV, which exceeds the values of the BJ3DP-produced 316L SS samples reported in the available literature, arising from their high relative density and the presence of ~ 6.9 vol.% δ-ferrite phase.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province (Grant No. 2018B090905002) and the Basic Research Foundation of Guangzhou City (Grant No. 201804020071).

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  1. Guangdong Key Laboratory for Advanced Metallic Materials Processing, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510641, China

    Weiping Chen, Zhiping Chen, Ling Chen, Dezhi Zhu & Zhiqiang Fu

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Chen, W., Chen, Z., Chen, L. et al. Optimization of Printing Parameters to Achieve High-Density 316L Stainless Steel Manufactured by Binder Jet 3D Printing. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 32, 3602–3616 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-022-07368-1

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