Finish Machining of Additively Manufactured Inconel 718 – A Review

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) of Inconel 718, IN718, is increasingly being used for the manufacture of complex geometry parts for high temperature applications. However, the low surface integrity and build resolution of as-built AM IN718 parts demands post processing such as machining. This paper reviews the machining of AM IN718 to understand the effect of anisotropic behaviour of the AM part and the hardening post AM treatment on the machinability of the latter. A better understanding on the cutting parameters and machining performance measures such as cutting forces, tool wear, chip morphology and surface integrity of workpiece led to the development of a workplan for future investigation.