Binder jetting 3D printing of 316 stainless steel: influence of process parameters on microstructural and mechanical properties

Binder Jetting 3D printing (BJ3DP) is one of the emerging additive manufacturing technologies. The process consists in the use of a chemical binder during printing and must necessarily be followed by different types of post-treatments (e.g. sintering). In the present work, the features of components obtained by Binder Jetting 3D printing technique from metallic powder of 316L stainless steel have been characterized and studied. In particular, the microstructure of the stainless steel, surface characteristics (hardness and porosity) and the mechanical properties of the printed sample after sintering were evaluated. The analyses performed have been aimed to analyse the role of the most significant conditions of the thermal processes (de-binding and sintering) in order to determine their influence on the physical and mechanical properties of a component produced by BJ3DP. This feasibility study has shown how this new technology can be effective for the production of metal parts with mechanical properties comparable with products obtained with traditional techniques and with other additive processes (e.g. Selective Laser Melting).