INVESTIGATION OF THE PROPERTIES OF DIRECT ENERGY DEPOSITION ADDITIVE MANUFACTURED 304 STAINLESS STEEL

One of the main considerations in adopting the additive manufacturing (AM) technology is whether the material properties of the AM-produced part are comparable with the wrought material. This study compared the properties of AM-produced 304 stainless steel via the direct energy deposition (DED) AM process with wrought 304 stainless steel. The samples were studied in their as-built or as-received condition; and the characterisation analysis included micro-structural evaluation, hardness tests, Charpy impact testing, tensile testing, and X-ray diffraction. The results demonstrated that, in general, the strength characteristics of the AM sample exceeded those of the wrought material other than for toughness.