Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) is a novel manufacturing process for fabricating metaI parts directly from Computer Aided Design (CAD) solid models. The process is similar to rapid prototyping technologies in its approach to fabricate a solid component by layer additive methods. However, the LENS technology is unique in that fully dense metal components with material properties that are similar to that of wrought materials can be fabricated. The LENS process has the potential to dramatically reduce the time and cost required realizing functional metal parts. In addition, the process can fabricate complex internal features not possible using existing manufacturing processes. The real promise of the technology is the potential to manipulate the material fabrication and properties through precision deposition of the material, which includes thermal behavior control, layered or graded deposition of multi-materials, and process parameter selection.
A new crystallographic orientation relationship (OR) between delta-ferrite and austenite has been observed in solidification microstructures of 304L and 309S austenitic stainless steels and a ternary Fe-Cr-Ni alloy. Evidence for the new OR was obtained from electron diffraction patterns in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This relationship, (111) fcc //(110) bcc and [110] fcc //[110] bcc , has not been previously reported for bcc-fcc systems. The ͗110͘ fcc //͗110͘ bcc alignment is distinctive among known bcc-fcc ORs. The new OR is related to the Kurdjumov-Sachs (K-S) and Nishiyama-Wassermann (N-W) ORs by relative rotations of 35.26 and 30 deg, respectively, about the normal to the parallel close-packed planes. In 304L fabricated by laser-engineered net shaping (LENS), delta-ferrite with the new OR was found to coexist in the microstructure with both K-S and N-W oriented ferrite, but in separate austenite grains and with less frequent occurrence. In gas-tungsten arc (GTA) welds of 309S and the Fe-Cr-Ni alloy, the new OR was the only one observed within a few grains, whereas ferrite within other grains did not establish an apparent OR with the austenite matrix.
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