Experimental design approach to optimize selective laser melting of martensitic 17-4 PH powder: part I - single laser tracks and first layer

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of main process parameters of selective laser melting (SLM) technology on single lines and single layers manufactured from 17-4 PH martensitic powder using the experimental design approach. Design/methodology/approach - A fractional factorial approach has been applied to vary and to identify the optimal set of process parameters using three different powder particle size distributions for 17-4 PH steel. This paper assesses the impact of influence factors such as process and material parameters on objective factors such as dimension of single lines and single layers, as well as surface roughness. Findings - The influence of process parameters and materials properties on single line and single layer manufacture is shown and proved statistically. The effect of each process parameter and their interactions on single layer and single line stability and quality has been investigated, and a complex objective function analyzing geometrical stability of single lines has been proposed. The findings indicate the most appropriate 17-4 PH powder particle size distribution. Originality/value - The research provides a systematic scientific approach using fractional factorial experiment design to identify the influence of process parameters, materials parameters and their combinations on essential martensitic steels (17-4 PH steel) single lines and single layers characteristics such as geometrical stability and surface roughness. This approach will be extended to 3D parts fabrication and reported in a later paper.