A Micro-Computed Tomography Comparison of the Porosity in Additively Fabricated CuCr1 Alloy Parts Using Virgin and Surface-Modified Powders

Recently, the use of novel CuCr1 surface-modified powder for reliable laser powder-bed fusion (LPBF) manufacturing has been proposed, enabling a broader LPBF processing window and longer powder storage life. Nevertheless, virgin CuCr1 powder is also LPBF processable, on the condition that a high-energy density is employed. In this work, we compare two dense specimens produced from virgin and surface-modified CuCr1 powder. Furthermore, a third sample fabricated from surface-modified powder is characterized to understand an abnormal porosity content initially detected through Archimedes testing. Utilizing high-resolution micro-CT scans, the nature of the defects present in the different samples is revealed. Pores are analyzed in terms of size, morphology and spatial distribution. The micro-CT data reveal that the virgin CuCr1 dense specimen displays keyhole pores plus pit cavities spanning multiple layer thicknesses. On the other hand, the sample fabricated with the surface-modified CuCr1 powder mainly contains small and spherical equi-distributed metallurgical defects. Finally, the CT analysis of the third specimen reveals the presence of a W contamination, favoring lack-of-fusion pores between subsequent LPBF layers. The LPBF melting mode (keyhole or conductive), the properties of the material, and the potential presence of contaminants are connected to the different porosity types and discussed.