Residual Stress Distribution in Selective Laser Melting of SS316L Parts

Additive manufacturing is one of the fastest-growing fields in materials engineering. This is because there is a new trend for custom, high-precision, and on-demand manufacturing. The undesired residual stress induced in the components during layer-by-layer melting and solidification of the metal powder is an important issue related to the selective laser melting (SLM) process that needs to be studied deeply. These stresses may impair mechanical performance and potentially result in premature failure. As a result, a thorough knowledge of residual stress is crucial for improved component dependability. By keeping constant process parameters, samples were produced with a difference in the scanning method. Results indicate that the defect-free parts are manufactured in all the four patterns used, and the self-balanced residual stresses are within the safe limits of yield strength.