Processing Superalloy Materials in Additive Manufacturing using Electron Beam Melting Technology

Electron beam melting (EBM) is an additive manufacturing (AM) technology that selectively consolidates metal powders to fabricate 3D structures.  The process includes the focusing of an electron beam at discrete areas within a powder bed composed of metal particles (average size of 40-105 μm) to produce melting, followed by re-solidification that enables fabrication of complex geometries.  A methodology was established to assist in new material parameter development for the EBM process.  These processes include powder characterization, material parameter development, and build sample analysis. All steps were completed in order to understand the material’s behavior in the EBM system and to produce fully dense parts. Extensive research has been done on Inconel 718 and Hastelloy X superalloys.  The powder materials have been characterised and used in an Arcam A2X system. Build themes have been developed to produce parts with mechanical properties meeting the AMS 5662 and ASTM F3055-14a testing requirements.