Research Updates on the Additive Manufacturing of Nickel Based Superalloys

Over the last decade, additive manufacturing technology has consistently evolved as a sophisticated rapid manufacturing tool that allows direct fabrication of an end-usable part without extensive tooling. The methodology of layer-by-layer fabrication demonstrates the novel prospects of fabricating complex and multifunctional components and the aerospace and automotive industries have been quite successful in adopting various additive technologies for the use in jet engines, power plants and reactor vessels. This article will systematically review the properties of nickel-based superalloys using different additive manufacturing methods. In the first section, the types of additive manufacturing methods are briefly introduced. The properties of Ni superalloy powders and the characterization methods are then discussed. The mechanical properties displayed by additively manufactured Ni superalloys are presented and discussed based on the influence of different processing and post-processing variables.