Effect of surface remelting on the characteristics of IN718 components fabricated using laser powder directed energy deposition

Abstract Laser Powder Directed Energy Deposition (LP-DED) fabricated components exhibit poor surface finish, necessitating additional post-processing steps prior to their practical application. Enhancing the surface quality of additively manufactured IN718 specimens through conventional post-processing methods is particularly challenging, given the material’s poor machinability and the complexity of the fabricated components. The current study is centered on comprehending the impact of Laser Surface Remelting (LSR) on the surface properties of Laser Powder Directed Energy Deposited (LP-DED) IN718 material. To gain insights into how remelting influences surface characteristics, remelting was carried out using various sets of parameters. The remelted zone exhibited a refined grain structure, leading to increased hardness. Moreover, significant reductions in surface roughness and residual stress were observed in the remelted samples. Regression analysis indicated that laser power played a pivotal role, with positive impact on surface finish and depth of influence but a negative impact on residual stress and hardness. Therefore, considering all the comparison metrics, remelting using laser power of 150 W and a scan speed of 1140 mm min −1 were found to yield optimal surface conditions.