Examination of material manufactured by direct metal laser sintering (DMLS)

This article is concerned with assessing microstructural properties of metal component manufactured by additive DMLS technology. Two series of samples were assessed. The first one was manufactured without heat treatment. Samples in the second series were treated with heat in order to assess increase in hardness and influence on modification of microstructure. Subsequently, values of hardness were measured by Vickers Hardness Test and modification of microstructure was observed by optical microscope. Evaluations were carried out in three planes in order to assess the differences in layering of material during its processing. Differences in values of hardness and microstructural components were discovered by examination of changes in three planes.