Mechanical and thermal properties of 3D printing metallic materials at cryogenic temperatures

Metal 3D printing is utilized in various industrial fields due to its advantages, such as fewer restrictions on production shape and reduced production time and cost. Existing research on 3D printing metal materials focused on changes in material properties depending on manufacturing conditions and was mainly conducted in a room temperature environment. In order to apply metal 3D printing products to cryogenic applications, research on the properties of materials in cryogenic environments is necessary but still insufficient. In this study, we evaluate the properties of stainless steel (STS) 316L and CuCr1Zr manufactured by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) in a cryogenic environment. CuCr1Zr is a precipitation hardening alloy, and changes in material properties were compared by applying various heat treatment conditions. The mechanical properties of materials manufactured using the LBPF method are evaluated through tensile tests at room temperature and cryogenic temperature (77 K), and the thermal properties are evaluated by deriving the thermal conductivity of CuCr1Zr according to various heat treatment conditions. InAa cryogenic environment, the mechanical strength of STS 316L and CuCr1Zr increased by about 150% compared to room temperature, and the thermal conductivity of CuCr1Zr after heat treatment increased by about 6 to 10 times compared to before heat treatment at 40 K.