Impact of inter-layer scan strategy on quality of direct fabrication metal parts in SLM process

In order to manufacture high density parts with high quality surface by means of selective laser melting technique,orthogonal test method was applied to investigate fiber laser selective laser melting of 316L stainless steel powder.Defects among scan lines and protuberance of outside frame of samples were found in the experiments,which were great impediments for part quality improvement.Then,"inter-layer stagger" scan strategy was applied for its better wetting ability and fabrication efficiency.Bonding quality among scan lines and layers was analyzed by means of micro-observing and fewer holes were found and better metallurgical bonding and higher density were achieved.Finally,optimized process parameters and "interlayer stagger" scan strategy were applied to manufacture customized orthopedics model,its micro-hardness and relative density were HV0.3 250 and 95.8% respectively.Results show that inter-layer scan strategy has fine effect on the quality of direct fabrication metal parts in selective laser melting process.