POST-HEAT TREATMENT IN METAL ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF PROCESSES, MICROSTRUCTURE EVOLUTION, AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

Metal Additive Manufacturing (MAM) has revolutionized the manufacturing of intricate three-dimensional structures. Sometimes, the material properties and microstructures of metals produced by additive manufacturing (AM) are often worse than those created using traditional manufacturing methods. Mechanical characteristics and microstructure of AM-made metals can be enhanced with post-heat treatment (PHT). This paper reviews and discusses the various types of PHT techniques, including solution treatment (ST), aging, Isostatic Hot Pressing, and precipitation hardening. In this study, several characterization methods, such as mechanical testing, hardness testing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), are utilized to investigate how the microstructure and mechanical properties of the printed components change after being subjected to PHT. The study results give important information about each selected metal’s most effective heat treatment conditions. This lets the microstructure and mechanical properties of the printed parts be tuned effectively. The paper has reviewed the various PHT effects in MAM on various metallic materials such as Stainless Steel, Maraging steel, Aluminum, and Titanium alloys.