Effects of Platform Pre-Heating and Thermal-Treatment Strategies on Properties of AlSi10Mg Alloy Processed by Selective Laser Melting

The AlSi10Mg alloy was processed by selective laser melting using both hot- and cold-build platforms. The investigation was aimed at defining suitable platform pre-heating and post-process thermal treatment strategies, taking into consideration the peculiar microstructures generated. Microstructural analyses, differential scanning calorimetry, and high-resolution diffraction from synchrotron radiation, showed that in the cold platform as-built condition, the amount of supersaturated Si was higher than in hot platform samples. The best hardness and tensile performance were achieved upon direct aging from cold platform-printed alloys. The hot platform strategy led to a loss in the aging response, since the long processing times spent at high temperature induced a substantial overaging effect, already in the as-built samples. Finally, the standard T6 temper consisting of post-process solution annealing followed by artificial aging, resulted in higher ductility but lower mechanical strength.