Relationship between Phase Fractions and Mechanical Properties in Heat‐Treated Laser Powder‐Bed Fused Co‐Based Dental Alloys

Abstract Metal additive manufacturing of dental prostheses consisting of cobalt−chromium−tungsten (Co−Cr−W) alloys poses an alternative to investment casting. However, metal additive manufacturing processes like Laser Powder‐Bed Fusion (LPBF) can impact the elastic constants and the mechanical anisotropy of the resulting material. To investigate the phase compositions of mechanically different specimens in dependence of their postprocessing steps (e. g. heat treatment to relieve stress), the current study uses X‐ray Diffraction (XRD), Electron BackScatter Diffraction (EBSD), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) for phase identification. Our studies connect plastic deformation of Remanium star CL alloy with the formation of the hexagonal ϵ ‐phase and heat treatment with the formation of the D024‐phase, while partially explaining previously observed differences in Young's moduli.