Selective Laser Melting of Maraging Steel Components

Selective laser melting (SLM) has emerged as a transformative additive manufacturing technique for producing high-performance maraging steel components with complex geometries and tailored properties. In SLM, successive layers of fine maraging steel powder are selectively fused by a high-energy laser, inducing rapid solidification rates in excess of 10^6 K/s. The inherent thermal cycles—comprising rapid melting, solidification and cyclic re-heating—drive the formation of a predominantly martensitic matrix with nano-scale precipitates upon subsequent ageing. This unique microstructure confers exceptional combinations of high strength, toughness and dimensional accuracy, while reducing the need for extensive post-machining. Applications span aerospace, tooling and high-pressure vessels, where conformal cooling channels, lightweight lattices and consolidated assemblies are realised. Challenges remain in controlling residual stresses, minimising porosity and ensuring isotropic mechanical behaviour, yet ongoing advances in process parameter optimisation and alloy design continue to extend the global impact and industrial uptake of SLM-fabricated maraging steels.

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Selective Laser Melting of Maraging Steel Components publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in selective laser melting of maraging steel components across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Selective Laser Melting (SLM): An additive manufacturing process that uses a laser to fuse successive layers of metal powder into fully dense parts.

Maraging Steel: A low-carbon, high-nickel steel alloy that attains high strength through the precipitation of intermetallic compounds in a martensitic matrix.

Martensite: A supersaturated solid solution phase formed by rapid cooling, characterised by a body-centred tetragonal structure and high dislocation density.

Precipitation Hardening: A heat-treatment process in which fine intermetallic particles form within a metal matrix, impeding dislocation motion and increasing strength.

Rapid Solidification: Extremely high cooling rates that suppress coarse grain growth and support unique non-equilibrium microstructures.

Residual Stress: Locked-in stresses within a component arising from non-uniform thermal gradients during the manufacturing process.

References

1. Aging Behaviour and Mechanical Performance of 18-Ni 300 Steel Processed by Selective Laser Melting. Metals (2016).
2. Microstructural characterization and properties of selective laser melted maraging steel with different build directions. Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (2018).
3. Effect of Process Parameters on Residual Stresses, Distortions, and Porosity in Selective Laser Melting of Maraging Steel 300. Metals (2019).
4. Advances in Maraging Steels for Additive Manufacturing. BHM Berg- und Hüttenmännische Monatshefte (2019).
5. Effect of Heat Treatment Condition on Microstructural and Mechanical Anisotropies of Selective Laser Melted Maraging 18Ni-300 Steel. Metals (2020).
6. A Review of Factors Affecting the Mechanical Properties of Maraging Steel 300 Fabricated via Laser Powder Bed Fusion. Metals (2020).