47 - Development of an economical sintering strategy for 316L stainless steel parts printed by Material Extrusion Addive Manufacturing (MEAM)
Abstract
Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing (MEAM) is increasingly used to produce metal parts thanks to its simplicity and advantageous cost. It is similar to the conventional Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) process. In both cases, the feedstock is a mixture of polymer binder and metal powders and the parts produced are debinded to remove the polymer and sintered in a furnace. While the MIM industry can afford to use expensive furnaces because of high capital expenditure (CAPEX), this is less true for metal MEAM. Furthermore, when the material is sensitive to oxidation, the sintering must be done in a protective environment. This is the case for steel, for which most suppliers recommend a dihydrogen atmosphere. However, in addition to being expensive, dihydrogen is prohibited in many institutions because of its dangerousness. For all these reasons, the aim of this work is to develop an economical sintering strategy for 316L stainless steel parts printed by pellets extrusion, by replacing dihydrogen and by using a laboratory tube furnace. This study gives a comprehensive view of the effect of the selected sintering environments, i.e. nitrogen and primary vacuum on the mechanical properties, in comparison with the industrial conditions. Overall, the properties of vacuum sintered parts are very similar to those of hydrogen sintered parts. On the other hand, the use of nitrogen leads to the increase of elastic strength, to the detriment of elongation at break.
Speaker
Sophie Badin
Discover speaker profileCRITT - Matériaux Innovation, Charleville - Mézières, France
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47 - Development of an economical sintering strategy for 316L stainless steel parts printed by Material Extrusion Addive Manufacturing (MEAM)
Date/Time
20/03/2024
5:40 pm -6:00 pm
Location
Room 7