Morphology and Performance Characterizations of 316 Stainless Steel Additively Fabricated by Laser Thermal-Joule Heating Composite Process

The Laser Thermal-Joule Heating Composite Process was studied by orthogonal tests based on an analysis of fabrication parameters such as the laser power, wire feeding speed, and electric current. Temperature profiles and the geometric morphology of deposited layers under different process parameters were analyzed, and the overlaps between the layers and the substrate were observed. Results show that when the temperature at the bottom layer of the additive manufacturing is higher than the melting point of the substrate, and the highest temperature at the top layer does not exceed the over-firing temperature, good morphology and close bonding with the substrate can be obtained. Finally, appropriate process parameters were identified and verified to print multiple layers continuously.