Processability of water atomized 410L steel with laser powder bed fusion

Abstract This study investigates the influence of non-spherical water atomized powder on laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process parameters and microstructure of 410L steel. It was demonstrated that samples with a relative density of 99.99% can be produced with LPBF using water atomized powder with a relatively high particle size (51.51 ± 0.10 μm) and good flowability (flow angle < 41°). This density was achieved with a layer thickness of 30 µm as well as 50 µm. The results demonstrate the importance of sufficient powder flowability for successful layer application and highlight the need for increased energy input to achieve high densities due to irregular particle shape. In this work, the microstructure of additively manufactured components made of water atomized 410L is investigated and the possible applications of water atomized powder are discussed. Overall, the results show that water atomized 410L powder can be used as a cost-efficient alternative to gas atomized powder for LPBF processing as long as the powder flowability is sufficient and the LPBF process parameters are adapted accordingly.