Selective Laser Melting of Stainless-Steel: A Review of Process, Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Post-Processing treatments

Additive Manufacturing (AM) using Selective Laser Melting (SLM) has gained significant prominence across various industries involved in stainless steel part manufacturing. Selective Laser Melting makes it possible to manufacture parts with very complex geometry and with remarkable mechanical and physicochemical properties by controlling the microstructure via the appropriate choice of process parameters. This study presents a comprehensive literature review aiming to provide the scientific and technical communities with an overview of existing knowledge and experimental data regarding the effects of Selective Laser Melting parameters and conditions on the microstructure and mechanical properties of stainless-steel parts. The objective is to highlight the impact of various factors, such as process parameters, building atmosphere, post-heat treatments and initial powder characteristics on phase transformation, porosity and microcracks formation, microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of SLMed stainless steels. Additionally, the integration of emerging Smart Additive Manufacturing (SAM) requires experimental databases, properties prediction and processing parameters optimization to enhance the entire process spanning from design to final product.