Advanced manufacturing of high-speed steels: A critical review of the process design, microstructural evolution, and engineering performance

High-speed steels (HSSs) are frequently utilized as cutting tools and wear-resistant components for a variety of applications because of their exceptional hot hardness and desirable wear resistance. Over the last few decades, numerous strategies for the manufacture of HSS components have been developed. Among these methods, advanced manufacturing (AM) techniques, including powder bed fusion (PBF), direct energy deposition (DED), and material jetting (MJ), have gained great scientific attention because they allow the fabrication of complicated mechanical components with high customization and specialized qualities. However, a comprehensive review of the recent progress of AM of HSSs is still lacking and this paper aims to address this need. This present paper reviews all the significant attributes of the state-of-the-art AM techniques for the fabrication of HSSs. The process designs of AM by means of PBF, DED, and MJ are discussed and compared. Process modeling work, including the microstructure prediction and solidification behavior of AM-fabricated HSS is reviewed. The microstructural evolutions during AM processes in terms of carbide precipitation dynamics, grain growth behavior and defect formation mechanism of HSSs are discussed. Moreover, the engineering properties of the AMed HSS are summarized, including residual stress, hardness, strength, impact toughness and enhanced wear resistance. Furthermore, the existing difficulties of AM technology and the future research objectives for producing HSS components are offered and explored.