Effect of rotation angle on surface morphology, microstructure, and mechanical properties of Inconel 718 alloy fabricated by high power laser powder bed fusion

Rotation angle of the laser scan direction between two adjacent layers is a key controlling parameter during the high-power (≥ 1 kW) laser powder bed fusion (HP-LPBF) process. This study investigates the influences of rotation angles (θ = 0°, 45°, 90°, 105°) on the surface morphology, microstructure, and mechanical properties of Inconel 718 (IN718) alloy produced by HP-LPBF. Results show that adopting low rotation angles (e.g., 0° and 45°) is prone to relatively poor surface finish and lack-of-fusion defects, whereas adopting high rotation angles (e.g., 90° and 105°) induces smaller surface roughness and better relative density. Each case reveals a noticeable edge effect but the maximal heights witness a downward trend with the increase of rotation angle. There are some minor differences in the primary dendrite arm spacing and grain morphology by varying the rotation angles. Moreover, the tensile property is slightly enhanced as the rotation angle increases. The present work suggests that high rotation angles like 90° and 105° would probably be more favorable for the 1 kW HP-LPBF process than rotation angles with relatively low values.