Selective laser melting of tungsten and tungsten alloys

In order to overcome these drawbacks, the influence of the SLM processing parameters on the melting and solidification behavior of tungsten and tungsten alloys was investigated. The best results were obtained with a high energy density of the laser and lowest oxygen level in build chamber of the ProX® DMP 320, where the optimal processing conditions resulted in parts with closed porosity. Microstructural development, crack formation as well as the resulting texture in the finished parts was evaluated with respect to the material composition and the used scanning strategy.