Corrosion of metallic materials fabricated by selective laser melting

Abstract Additive manufacturing is an emerging technology that challenges traditional manufacturing methods. However, the corrosion behaviour of additively manufactured parts must be considered if additive techniques are to find widespread application. In this paper, we review relationships between the unique microstructures and the corresponding corrosion behaviour of several metallic alloys fabricated by selective laser melting, one of the most popular powder-bed additive technologies for metals and alloys. Common issues related to corrosion in selective laser melted parts, such as pores, molten pool boundaries, surface roughness and anisotropy, are discussed. Widely printed alloys, including Ti-based, Al-based and Fe-based alloys, are selected to illustrate these relationships, and the corrosion properties of alloys produced by selective laser melting are summarised and compared to their conventionally processed counterparts.