Research on Machinability of Additively and Conventionally Manufactured 316L Stainless Steel

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has revolutionized modern production. However, its integration with conventional or subtractive manufacturing is still underexplored. Therefore, this study investigates the machinability of 316L stainless steel (SS) produced with rolling or Powder Bed Fusion – Laser Beam (PBF-LB) technologies under dry turning. Compared with rolled specimens, the AM samples exhibit greater variability in machining performance and higher sensitivity to cutting conditions. It is demonstrated from the results that sample with the highest feed shows the least favorable machinability. In particular, the PBF-LB specimen machined at the highest feed rate exhibits the highest cutting force and tool vibration, produces the roughest machined surface, and generates the highest cutting-zone temperature. It also shows relatively high flank wear and has the shortest tool life. Although the measured temperatures remain well below the melting point of 316L SS, optical microscopy reveals pronounced built-up edge formation, indicating that adhesive wear rather than thermal melting is the dominant wear mechanism. These findings demonstrate that rolled 316L provides more stable machining behavior and offer practical guidance for optimizing the dry turning of AM 316L SS.