Microstructure and Properties of 316 Stainless Steel Produced by Laser-Induced Arc Hybrid Additive Manufacturing

A low-power laser is used to induce a TIG arc for improving the surface quality and mechanical properties of the stainless steel components produced via TIG arc additive manufacturing; the arcs before and after laser radiation arc compared. Further, the tensile strength and microstructure of the components arc investigated at different laser powers. The results denote that the laser induced effect can compress the arc and stabilize the deposition process, resulting in high-speed deposition. The proposed methodology results in low heat input and improves the mechanical properties of the wall. A columnar dendrite microstructure of the wall is considered. The distance between the dendrites from the bottom to the top gradually increases, whereas the hardness decreases. The top of the wall exhibits an equiaxed dendrite microstructure. The 316 stainless steel produced by laser-induced arc additive manufacturing comprises austenite and ferrite.