Annealing Response of Additively Manufactured High-Strength 1.2709 Maraging Steel Depending on Elevated Temperatures

The present work describes the influence of different temperatures on mechanical properties and microstructure of additively manufactured high-strength 1.2709 maraging steel. For this purpose, samples produced by selective laser melting technology were used in their as-printed as well as their heat-treated state. Both samples were than exposed to temperatures ranging between 100 °C to 900 °C with a total dwell time of 2 h followed by water-cooling. The microhardness of the as-printed material reached its maximum (561 ± 6 HV0.1) at 500 °C, which corresponded to the microstructural changes. However, the heat-treated material retained its initial mechanical properties up to 500 °C. As the temperature increased, the microhardness of both the materials reduced, reaching their minimum at 900 °C. This phenomenon was accompanied by a change in the microstructure by forming coarse-grained martensite. This also resulted in a significant decrease in the ultimate tensile strength and an increase in the plasticity. TEM analysis confirmed the formation of Ni(3)Mo intermetallic phases in the as-printed material when exposed to a temperature of 500 °C. It was found that the same phase was present in the heat-treated sample and it remained stable up to a temperature of 500 °C.