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Macro detail of fine spherical metal alloy powder used in laser powder bed fusion

Materials

Alloys for demanding service conditions.

Material selection drives the process, the heat treatment, the machining allowance and the achievable tolerance. It is the first engineering decision, not the last.

Material families

Five families, each with its own consequences.

The grades below cover the majority of industrial metal additive work. If your application needs something else, tell us the duty and we will advise.

Material family

Stainless Steel

316L17-4PH15-5PH

The most widely specified additive family. Corrosion resistant, weldable and readily machined after printing.

Properties

  • Good corrosion resistance
  • 316L: austenitic, ductile, weldable
  • 17-4PH / 15-5PH: precipitation hardenable to high strength
  • Stable at elevated service temperatures

Typical applications

  • Fluid handling and manifolds
  • Fixtures, jigs and tooling
  • General engineering brackets and housings
  • Food, marine and medical-adjacent hardware

Processes

  • Laser Powder Bed Fusion
  • Direct Metal Laser Sintering
  • Binder Jetting

Finishing & heat treatment

  • Stress relief / solution and age heat treatment
  • CNC machining of critical features
  • Bead blasting, tumbling, polishing
  • Passivation

Material family

Aluminium

AlSi10MgAluminium alloys

Lightweight alloys suited to structural and thermal applications where mass reduction is the driver.

Properties

  • Low density with good specific strength
  • High thermal conductivity
  • Responds well to T6-type heat treatment
  • Suited to thin walls and lattice structures

Typical applications

  • Lightweight structural brackets
  • Heat exchangers and cooling channels
  • Motorsport and automotive prototypes
  • Housings and enclosures

Processes

  • Laser Powder Bed Fusion
  • Direct Metal Laser Sintering

Finishing & heat treatment

  • Stress relief and ageing
  • CNC machining of bores, faces and threads
  • Anodising
  • Blasting and vibratory finishing

Material family

Titanium

Ti6Al4V

High specific strength and excellent corrosion resistance — the reference material for aerospace and medical additive work.

Properties

  • High strength-to-weight ratio
  • Excellent corrosion resistance
  • Good performance to moderately elevated temperatures
  • Biocompatible grades available

Typical applications

  • Aerospace structure and brackets
  • Medical and instrument components
  • Motorsport and defence hardware
  • Chemically aggressive environments

Processes

  • Laser Powder Bed Fusion
  • Direct Metal Laser Sintering

Finishing & heat treatment

  • Vacuum stress relief / HIP where specified
  • CNC machining of datum and mating features
  • Chemical and abrasive surface treatment
  • Polishing to specified Ra

Material family

Nickel Superalloys

Inconel 625Inconel 718

For components operating hot, loaded and in aggressive environments where conventional alloys will not survive.

Properties

  • High strength at elevated temperature
  • Excellent oxidation and corrosion resistance
  • IN718: age hardenable to very high strength
  • Good creep and fatigue performance

Typical applications

  • Hot gas path and combustion hardware
  • Exhaust and turbocharger components
  • Chemical and downhole equipment
  • High-temperature tooling

Processes

  • Laser Powder Bed Fusion
  • Direct Metal Laser Sintering

Finishing & heat treatment

  • Solution and precipitation heat treatment
  • CNC machining (allowance recommended)
  • Blasting and controlled surface finishing
  • Dimensional inspection and reporting

Material family

Tool Steels

Maraging steelH13

Hardenable steels for tooling inserts, dies and wear-critical components — often with conformal cooling.

Properties

  • High hardness after heat treatment
  • Good wear resistance
  • Maraging steel: high strength with low distortion on ageing
  • H13: hot work performance and thermal fatigue resistance

Typical applications

  • Injection mould inserts with conformal cooling
  • Die casting and forming tooling
  • Wear plates and punches
  • Production fixtures

Processes

  • Laser Powder Bed Fusion
  • Direct Metal Laser Sintering

Finishing & heat treatment

  • Hardening, ageing and tempering
  • CNC machining and grinding
  • EDM and polishing of tool surfaces
  • Dimensional verification

Next step

Not sure which alloy applies?

Describe the load, temperature and environment the component operates in. We will recommend a material and process combination and explain the trade-off.

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