Laser Powder Bed Fusion of a New High gamma’ Ni-based Superalloy

Additive manufacturing (AM) process has been recently very popular in the field of designing and manufacturing because of its ability to produce intricate geometries. In the field of aerospace, high strength materials such as high gamma’ Ni-based alloys are attractive for its high mechanical properties, oxidation and creep resistance at elevated temperature. Unfortunately, such alloys are known to suffer from weldability issue and thus not compatible with AM. Some strategies such as chemical composition modifications are now permitting AM of the Ni-based superalloys comprising up to 48% of gamma’ phase. In that context, the current study focuses on producing crack free new high gamma’ Ni-based superalloy using Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) processes. The work was made possible by a careful optimization of the chemical composition and printing parameters. The microstructure, mechanical properties and effect of heat treatment on these fabricated components will be presented.