For this work, the behavior of the ZhS6K alloy (Russian grade) in the process of direct laser deposition was investigated. Two samples, a “small” one (40 × 10 × 10 mm3) and “large” one (80 × 16 × 16 mm3), were fabricated with direct laser deposition. In both samples, the typical dual-phase γ/γ’ microstructure with cuboidal shape of the γ’ precipitates was observed. Both specimens revealed a similar tendency to continuous increasing in hardness from the bottom to the top associated with the refinement of γ’ precipitates. The “small” sample was essentially crack-free, while the “large” one underwent extensive cracking. The possible effects of various factors, including thermal history, size, and shape of the gamma grains, on cracking behavior were discussed.
