The directed energy deposition (DED) process of metal 3D printing technologies has been treated as an effective method for welding, repairing, and even 3-dimensional building of machinery parts. In this study, stainless steel 316L (STS316L) and Inconel 625 (IN625) alloy powders are additively manufactured using the DED process, and the microstructure of the fabricated STS316L/IN625 sample is investigated. In particular, there are no secondary phases in the interface between STS316L and the IN625 alloy. The EDS and Vickers hardness results clearly show compositionally and mechanically transient layers a few tens of micrometers in thickness. Interestingly, several cracks are only observed in the STS 316L rather than in the IN625 alloy near the interface. In addition, small-sized voids 200– 400 nm in diameter that look like trapped pores are present in both materials. The cracks present near the interface are formed by tensile stress in STS316L caused by the difference in the CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) between the two materials during the DED process. These results can provide fundamental information for the fabrication of machinery parts that require joining of two materials, such as valves.

Filling of the tool die directly influences dimensional tolerances and density variation. To minimize the variations in filling, both within different sections of the cavity and from part to part, are of great importance for produce high quality P/M parts. Filling of the tool die is also one of the limiting factors in the productivity in powder pressing. By using aeration filling in combination with bonded powder mixes, both weight scatter and productivity can be improved. In this presentation results are presented showing the benefit of using aeration filling for different types of powders