Analysis of direct metal laser sintering ‒ DMLS and heat treatment influence on the Inconel 713C nickel alloy structure

The group of nickel based superalloys produced in the DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) process is limited to materials, which produced conventionally do not have properties to allow to use them for rotating components of aircraft engines. This work attempts to optimize the technological parameters of the DMLS process for the Inconel 713C nickel superalloy. A heat treatment was performed for selected samples to investigate the effect on the morphology of the Ni3Al phase. The microstructure analysis and hardness tests were carried out. The material after the DMLS process was characterized by the presence of much smaller dendrites than the cast material and exceeded its hardness. For the tested variants of heat treatment, the material was characterized by smaller sizes of the Ni3Al phase. In order to ensure the stability of the microstructure, an optimization of the dedicated heat treatment after the DMLS process is required, as the standard heat treatment for Inconel 713C cast nickel superalloy does not fully recrystallize the material.