Development of a New Tooling Steel (L40) for Laser Powder Bed Fusion: Influence of Particle Size Distribution and Powder Atomization on Mechanical Performance

Additive manufacturing (AM) is widely used for tooling applications: Complex conformal cooling channels are designed to increase and homogenize the cooling rate of a mold insert. The list of available steel grades in laser powder bed fusion is currently very limited and does not satisfy highly mechanically demanding applications; hard stainless steel metals printable without cracking are lacking. Herein, the influence of the particle size...