Investigations on productive 3D printing of 17–4 PH steel with layer thickness of 80 μm

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology faces adoption barriers due to low productivity. This study investigates process parameter optimization for 17–4 PH stainless steel at 80 μm layer thickness to enhance productivity while maintaining density above 99.9%. A systematic experimental approach examined 48 parameter combinations varying laser power and scanning speed. Evaluation utilized computed tomography, optical metallography, visual inspection, and surface roughness measurement. Results show porosity decreases substantially with increasing laser power, with optimal scanning speed at 512 mm/s. Two parameter sets achieved densities exceeding 99%, providing productivity advantages of 34% and 39% reduced processing time compared to standard 40 μm layer height. Microstructural analysis revealed predominantly martensitic matrix with retained austenite and columnar grain structure. Surface roughness increased moderately, representing an acceptable trade-off. This research demonstrates that systematic parameter optimization can simultaneously achieve high density and substantial productivity improvements in LPBF processing of 17–4 PH stainless steel.