Influence of High-Productivity Process Parameters on the Surface Quality and Residual Stress State of AISI 316L Components Produced by Directed Energy Deposition

The production of large components is one of the most powerful applications of laser powder-directed energy deposition (LP-DED) processes. High productivity could be achieved, when focusing on industrial applications, by selecting the proper process parameters. However, it is of crucial importance to understand the strategies that are necessary to increase productivity while maintaining the overall part quality and minimizing the need for post-processing. In this paper, an analysis of the dimensional deviations, surface roughness and subsurface residual stresses of samples produced by LP-DED is described as a function of the applied energy input. The aim of this work is to analyze the effects of high-productivity process parameters on the surface quality and the mechanical characteristics of the samples. The obtained results show that the analyzed process parameters affect the dimensional deviations and the residual stresses, but have a very little influence on surface roughness, which is instead dominated by the presence of unmelted particles.