Comparisons on microstructure, mechanical and corrosion resistant property of S136 mold steel processed by selective laser melting from two pre-alloy powders with trace element differences

Selective laser melting (SLM) method has a great potential for fabricating injection mold with complex structure. In this study, two S136 mold steel pre-alloy powders with trace element difference were fabricated by SLM, and then comparison of samples on microstructure, mechanical and corrosion resistant property was investigated. Results showed that the sample fabricated with a higher Si+Mn content exhibited the lower mechanical properties, such as micro-hardness of 48.73 HRC, ultimate tensile strength of 1186.7 MPa and elongation of 10.6% due to a few of pores observed on the cross surface. For the SLM sample produced by another powder with a lower Si+Mn content, it showed equiaxed grains and cellular dendrite grains coexisted and exhibited the superior mechanical properties (50.31 HRC, 1467.9 MPa and 11.1%) combined with well corrosion resistance. Then the injection mold insert with conformal cooling channel was successfully processed by this powder. The cooling time was reduced by 30% during the injection cycle. Therefore, it can be seen that trace element differences have an important effect on the SLM S136 mold steel. The results suggest that it is essential for successful fabricating components with a suitable composition of alloy during SLM process.