Effect of printing orientation on mechanical properties of components in stainless steel obtained using the Bound Metal Deposition technology

The present work aims at studying and analyzing the influence of process parameters on performances of 3D printed components obtained using the Bound Metal Deposition technology. Bound Metal Deposition is one of the latest technologies for metals 3D printing. It consists in an extrusion process in which the parts are fabricated layer-by-layer through the deposition of metal powder held together by wax and polymer binder. After printing, binder is removed using a solvent, and the additively manufactured parts are sintered for their consolidation at temperatures reaching 1400°C for about 40 hours. Tensile specimens in 17-4 PH stainless steel were additively manufactured imposing different printing orientations in order to evaluate the effect of growth orientation angle on the mechanical properties of 3D printed parts. Results have demonstrated that the printing orientation greatly affects the mechanical performances of 3D printed components