Heat Treatment Response of Selectively Laser Melted AlSi10Mg

The age-hardenable cast alloy AlSi10Mg is the most widely used alloy for additive manufacturing of aluminium components by means of selective laser melting. Due to the rapid solidification, the material exhibits a fine cellular microstructure, composed of a supersaturated Al-matrix and a network of silicon along the cell boundaries. The temperature of the building platform as well as the built time both have an influence on the level of precipitation in the material and this in turn affects the heat treatment response of AlSi10Mg in as-built condition. Material built on a cold platform can be strengthened by direct artificial ageing and shows only a small loss in strength after a stress relief heat treatment. Material built on a preheated platform has the highest strength in as-built condition and subsequent artificial ageing or stress relieving causes softening of the material. A condition which is truly independent of the platform temperature can only be reached by applying a solution heat treatment followed by quenching. Unlike castings, which need a long-term solution heat treatment to reach optimum mechanical properties, the selectively laser melted material shows the best mechanical properties in T6-condition after a solution heat treatment of short duration.