Materials & Design (Jul 2024)
A facile and sustainable integrated fabrication strategy for multi-performance 316L stainless steel
Abstract
Additive manufacturing enables innovative design and integrated manufacturing of complex components. Metallic components with multi-performance and high reliability are always desirable for a broad range of high-end industries. Multi-material additive manufacturing is a promising way to provide multiple performances, yet there exist several persistent challenges on multi-material sustainability and recycling, interfacial defects and strength, dimensional accuracy and fineness, and manufacturing efficiency and cost, prohibiting its widespread practical applications. In this study, we introduce an additive/modification integrated manufacturing (AMIM) strategy for fabricating highly reliable multi-performance metals using only a single material with a one-step process. We demonstrate that, through a unique combination of pattern-induced orientation-consistent and layer-accumulated orientation-amplified mechanisms, the surface wear resistance performance of 316L stainless steels could be expanded to cover an exceptionally wide range from commercially available plastics to metals to ceramics. Furthermore, these strikingly different performances can be digitally programmed and precisely printed to form integrated 316L stainless steel components with excellent interfacial strength and high dimensional accuracy. This strategy paves a facile, inexpensive, and sustainable way to achieve multi-performance metals that are fully recyclable and environmentally friendly, serving as an alternative to the multi-material composite strategy.
