Evolution mechanism of surface morphology and internal hole defect of 18Ni300 maraging steel fabricated by selective laser melting

The performance of the selective laser melting (SLM) parts was critically affected by the surface quality and internal defects that are closely related to process parameters. An in-depth understanding of the relationship between the formation and evolution of surface and internal defects and process parameters is needed to achieve defect-free and high-performance SLM parts. In this study, the influencing mechanism of laser power, scanning speed, hatch spacing and layer thickness on melt pool morphology, surface quality and internal hole defect of SLMed 18Ni300 maraging steel was investigated. The thermal and physical behaviour and instability of the molten pool, as well as the formation and distribution behaviour of internal hole defects, were also analyzed and discussed. Recoil pressure, the insufficient overlap between tracks and remelting between layers, Plateau-Rayleigh instability and material aggregation caused by the Marangoni effect were characterized as the main factors closely related to molten pool morphology and surface quality. Within the selected parameters in this study, the obtained surface roughness and tensile strength range from 9.08–26.40 μm and 544.14–1246.24 MPa, respectively. The internal defect changes from irregular lack-of-fusion at low energy density to the keyhole-included spherical hole at high energy density. In addition, the volumetric energy density (VED) has a certain limitation in predicting surface quality and mechanical properties due to the complex physical characteristics of the molten pool.