Metal 3D-printing with steels and iron-based materials

The stainless austenitic steel 1.4404 has good corrosion resistance and can be used in the temperature range up to approx. 550 °C. Due to the additional resistance to intergranular corrosion up to 300 °C, this material is frequently used in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, as well as in the food industry. The material's good weldability makes it suitable for broad use in additive manufacturing processes.

Tensile strength R_m = 650 ±30 MPa *
Yield strengt R_p0.2 = 550 ±30 MPa *
Elongation at Break A₅ = 45 ± 5 % *

^{* State: „As-built“}
Optimization of mechanical-technological properties possible through specific heat treatment

The austenitic stainless steel 1.4828 is characterized by high temperature resistance and strength. The material is scale-resistant up to approx. 1,000 °C and has good weldability. Due to these properties, the material is mostly used in furnace and apparatus construction. Additive manufacturing offers a wide range of applications with this material through function integration, for example to manufacture high-performance heat exchangers.

Tensile strength R_m = 710 ±20 MPa*
Yield strength R_p0.2 = 550 ±20 MPa*
Elongation at Break A₅ = 42 ±2 %*

_{* State: „As-built“}
Optimization of mechanical-technological properties possible through specific heat treatment

The maraging stainless steel 1.4021 with a chromium content of between 12 and 14% is particularly easy to polish. In the polished condition, the already given corrosion resistance is positively influenced. Typical applications for this stainless steel are mechanical engineering, medical technology and the food industry. Specific magnetic properties and an increased degree of hardening can be achieved by appropriate heat treatment.

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The high-temperature chromium steel 1.4923 can be used in the temperature range up to 580 °C and has good corrosion resistance. Due to these properties, the steel is often used in steam turbines and in the chemical industry. When processed in additive manufacturing processes, special attention must be paid to thermal process control and subsequent heat treatment due to the limited weldability.

Tensile strength R_m = 1400 ±30 MPa*
Yield strength R_p0.2 = 1300 ±30 MPa*
Elongation at Break A₅ = 14 ±2 %*

_{* State: Heat treated}

Compared with 1.4401, the ferritic chromium steel 1.4521 offers comparable corrosion resistance without nickel alloying. As it shows hardly any tendency to harden after thermal influence, the steel is frequently used for heat exchangers. 1.4521 is also suitable for use in drinking water pipes and for food-carrying components.

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The maraging hot work tool steel 1.2709 has good temperature resistance and toughness. This results in a wide range of applications in tool and mold making, for example for additively manufactured mold inserts with internal cooling channels. With the aid of a downstream heat treatment, the hardness can be increased to around 54 HRC.

Tensile strength R_m = 1200 ±50 MPa*
Yield strength R_p0.2 = 1000 ±50 MPa*
Elongation at Break A₅ = 12 ±2 %*

_{* State: „As-built“}
Optimization of mechanical-technological properties possible through specific heat treatment

The maraging high-performance hot work tool steel Specialis® is a newly developed alloy for LPBF processes and is available exclusively from Rosswag. The mechanical properties can be easily optimized by specific heat treatments or plasma nitriding. The main advantages of Specialis® compared to other LPBF-processable tool steels are its high high-temperature strength and high hot hardness. Furthermore, on the material side, there is low thermal expansion, high corrosion and wear resistance, and excellent polishability. This leads to superior performance for applications in the field of function-optimized and thermally stressed molds, dies and tools.

Tensile strength R_m = 1145 ±11 MPa*
Yield strength R_p0.2 = 756 ±14 MPa*
Elongation at Break A₅ = 13.7 ±0.7 %*

_{* State: „As-built“}
Optimization of mechanical-technological properties possible through specific heat treatment

The quenched and tempered steel 1.7225, which is widely used in mechanical and plant engineering, has high tensile strength and toughness, making it frequently used for highly stressed components. Downstream heat treatment processes allow the properties of the material to be adapted very flexibly to the loads that occur. In additive manufacturing, due to the usually limited weldability, specific alloy modifications and optimized process parameters must be used for a dense and resilient material structure.

Tensile strength R_m = 1420 ±20 MPa*
Yield strength R_p0.2 = 1280 ±20 MPa*
Elongation at Break A₅ = 15 ±1%*

_{* State: „As-built“}
Optimization of mechanical-technological properties possible through specific heat treatment

The chromium-nickel alloy 1.3964 is frequently used for the optoelectronic industry or for marine applications. The high alloy content of the material results in high tensile strength and yield strength. At the same time, the material is non-magnetizable and possible interference currents can thus be avoided. The material also impresses with its strong corrosion resistance. Welding suitability and therefore also processing in the LPBF process is good due to the lower carbon content..

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The austenitic-ferritic duplex steel 1.4462 with the main constituents chromium, nickel and molybdenum is particularly resistant to pitting and surface corrosion. Due to its very good corrosion resistance, it is frequently used in power engineering and in onshore and offshore applications. Other applications can be found in the chemical and food industries as well as in mechanical engineering. Compared with other austenitic stainless steels, the nickel content of 1.4462 is significantly reduced.

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The high-temperature steel 1.4901 can be exposed to temperatures of up to 650 °C. It is therefore frequently used in power plant construction. It is therefore frequently used in power plant construction, among other applications. Even in long-term use in an environment of up to 500 °C, the mechanical properties of the alloy remain stable. The material is used, for example, in plant, pressure vessel and power plant construction.

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The high-speed steel 1.3343 has excellent adhesive and abrasive wear properties. At the same time, the alloy impresses with its high toughness and compressive strength. As a result, the material is used above all in toolmaking for all cutting tools as well as for forming tools. These include drilling, milling and sawing tools as well as cold forming tools, cutting punches, dies and cold extrusion punches. In addition, 1.3343 can be through-hardened, nitrided and coated after additive manufacturing.

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1.4906 is a high-temperature steel. The maximum temperature for continuous use is 600 °C. In addition, the material can be quenched and tempered. Typical products made from this material are found, for example, in steam turbines.

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The iron-based alloy with 36% nickel is characterized by a very low coefficient of thermal expansion up to 250°C. In addition, the Invar 36® material has good toughness and ductility. The low thermal expansion leads to a wide range of applications, for example in measuring instruments or in the optoelectronic industry. Component manufacture using additive manufacturing processes enables additional added value through functional integration.

Tensile strength R_m = 485 ±20 MPa*
Yield strength R_p0.2 = 380 ±20 MPa*
Elongation at Break A₅ = 33 ±5%*

^{* State: „As-built“}
Optimization of mechanical-technological properties possible through specific heat treatment