Weldability of Additively Manufactured Powder Bed Fusion 316L Stainless Steel Using Arc and Laser Welding

Abstract

The use of additive manufacturing for metallic materials presents a wide range of possibilities for industrial applications. The technology offers several advantages, including weight optimisation and the ability to create complex geometries. However, because of the inherent characteristics of the manufacturing process, the dimensions of the produced objects are frequently constrained. In some cases, it may be necessary to join two additively manufactured parts together or to join such parts with an existing, conventionally manufactured structure. Evaluating welding processes for joining additively manufactured workpieces is a crucial step in this development. In this work, the welding of additively manufactured powder bed fusion 316L stainless steel components is discussed. The welding processes considered are manual TIG, manual and robotic MIG/MAG and laser welding. All optimised welds were of good quality and did not show any weld imperfections. All welds fulfil the requirements of standard ISO 15614-1 for the tensile and bend test results and for the hardness values. It can be concluded that the investigated processes are feasible for welding additively manufactured parts.