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Materials Science in Additive Manufacturing Quality of a 3D-printed steel part

technology. It emphasizes crucial aspects such as powder “Research Unit on Materials, Energy, and Environment
uniformity, dimensional accuracy, surface roughness, for Sustainability” (proMetheus), Ref. UID/05975/2020,
and mechanical properties, all of which are vital for the financed by national funds through the FCT/MCTES;
successful application of AM in creating high-performance and the support provided within the scope of the “Agenda
components. DRIVOLUTION: Transition to the Factory of the Future,”
project no. C632394276-0046698 with operation code
Our investigation revealed that the demonstration
3D-printed parts exhibit exceptional dimensional quality, 02/C05-i01.02/2022.PC644913740-00000022, within
the framework of the Agendas/Mobilizing Alliances for
despite their complex geometries. Surface roughness Reindustrialization, Notice no. 2022-C05i0101-02, project
measurements further demonstrated superior quality, 23, of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) of Portugal.
with values well within the best-indicated standards
for similar technologies. The theoretical calculations of Conflicts of interest
material density using XRD and SEM corroborated the
experimental results, indicating minimal porosity and The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
defects in the material. While the material composition
of the feedstock powder showed slight deviations from Authors’ contributions
the nominal nickel values, these variations did not Conceptualization: César M. A. Vasques
adversely affect mechanical performance. Notably, the Formal analysis: César M. A. Vasques
maraging steel parts fabricated through LPBF displayed Funding acquisition: César M. A. Vasques, João C. C.
excellent mechanical properties, particularly in yield and Abrantes
tensile strength, aligning with both the manufacturer’s Investigation: All authors
specifications and values reported in existing literature. Methodology: All authors
Non-destructive hardness measurements were found to be Project administration: César M. A. Vasques
a reliable proxy for predicting tensile strength, reinforcing Writing – original draft: César M. A. Vasques
the potential of AM to produce robust mechanical parts. Writing – review & editing: All authors
Despite these positive findings, the study also Ethics approval and consent to participate
highlights ongoing challenges related to feedstock quality
and mechanical property predictability in printed parts. Not applicable.
Variability in powder composition necessitates more
rigorous quality control to ensure consistent performance. Consent for publication
The current state of AM still grapples with uncertainties Not applicable.
that need to be addressed to optimize metal component
production fully. AM’s ability to create intricate Availability of data
geometries while minimizing material waste underscores Not applicable.
its superiority over traditional manufacturing methods.
However, addressing the current scientific and technical Further disclosure
challenges will require close collaboration between This paper represents an extended and substantially
materials scientists, mechanical engineers, and quality developed version of the work initially presented in the
assurance specialists. Nevertheless, this study adds to conference paper titled “Vasques, C.M.A.; Resende, P.M.R.;
the expanding body of knowledge and reinforces the Cavadas, A.M.S.; Abrantes, J.C.C., Quality Analysis of a
transformative potential of LPBF technology in producing Demonstration 3D-Printed Tool Steel Part, in Proceedings
vital mechanical components. of the 2 International Electronic Conference on Applied
nd
Acknowledgments Sciences, 15–31 October 2021, MDPI: Basel, Switzerland
(7 pages).” While the conference paper presented a preliminary
The collaboration of Pedro M. R. Resende from subset of findings in the early phase of the investigations, the
proMetheus/IPVC, Portugal, in the early phase of this current paper offers significant advancements in both scope
work, is gratefully acknowledged by the authors. and content, incorporating new results, updated analyses,
and deeper insights into the topic.
Funding
The authors gratefully acknowledge: the support References
provided by the Foundation for Science and Technology 1. Thompson MK, Moroni G, Vaneker T, et al. Design for additive
(FCT) of Portugal, within the scope of the project of the manufacturing: Trends, opportunities, considerations, and

Volume 4 Issue 2 (2025) 12 doi: 10.36922/MSAM025040002