Reclamation Information Sharing Environment (RISE)

This final report is an analysis of Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) stainless steel 316L and its suitability for Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) purposes. An open cube was printed using PBF additive manufacturing. Test specimens were sectioned from the cube and analyzed for mechanical properties, density, and microstructure. The PBF process achieved high dimensional accuracy to the computer-aided design model. A small amount of porosity was observed, and the material had a lower toughness than wrought 316L. Overall, a reduced performance was due to anisotropy, which was most notable in the direction transverse to print layer deposition. With consideration to build orientation, the PBF process, when used with appropriate starting material and process parameters, may be an acceptable candidate for production of components depending on service.