The effect of scanning strategies on the defect distribution and mechanical properties of additive manufactured 316L stainless steel components

The effect of scanning strategies on defect distribution and mechanical properties of additive-manufactured (AM) 316L stainless steel components was investigated. Three scanning strategies (A1-stripe, A2-loop, A3-chessboard) were applied to study the defect characteristics using X-ray microscopy (XRM) and evaluate the resulting mechanical behavior through tensile tests. The results indicate that the chessboard strategy produces fewer, smaller, and more uniform defects, contributing to superior tensile strength and reduced anisotropy. In contrast, the loop strategy results in a higher density of elongated defects near the surface, leading to increased stress concentrations and lower tensile performance. This study provides insights into optimizing scanning strategies to enhance defect control, thereby improving the overall mechanical properties of 316L stainless steel in additive manufacturing. These findings are instrumental in advancing the process design for defect mitigation and structural integrity in AM components.