Effect of powder reuse on orthopedic metals produced through selective laser sintering

Metallic powder reuse is a simple method to significantly reduce material cost for direct metal laser sintering; however, the recycled materials must not produce defects that compromise part performance. In this study, virgin 316L and 17-4PH stainless steels, and Ti-6Al-4V powders were cycled up to eight times. Design of experiments were employed to identify how print parameters affect mechanical behavior for different reused feedstocks without compromising production quality. The study showed that recycling powder did not affect static mechanical properties and fatigue performances, with one exception - the ductility of 17-4PH. No significant variations in the part density, chemical composition, and powder properties were observed through reuses. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).