Tailored microstructure control in Additive Manufacturing: Constant and varying energy density approach for nickel 625 superalloy

•This study introduces a process parameter matrix and its effectiveness in altering the texture.•Increasing ED decreased RD and porosity, while the constant ED did not significantly impact RD and defects.•Altering PPM within the ED significantly impacts the texture and hardness by increasing the ED. The main challenge in the L-PBF process is finding the right combination of laser power (LP), scan speed (SS), and energy density (ED). This combination is crucial in controlling the microstructure and texture. This study introduces a new process parameter matrix (PPM) and its variation within the ED to adjust the microstructure by changing the LP/SS while keeping the ED constant or varying in the L-PBF process. Twenty-five Inconel 625 cubes were produced at different LP and SS, ranging from 230 to 350 W and 790 to 1190 mm/s. The resulting microstructure indicated that textured grains increased with ED. It also indicates that increasing the ED reduced relative density (RD) and porosity formation, while constant ED did not significantly affect them. Consequently, the hardness of the cube at the highest ED was about 21 % higher than that of the cube at the lowest ED. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of adjusting PPM to tailor the microstructure and texture using the L-PBF technique, which could be applied to complex shapes.