17-4PH Stainless Steel

17-4 PH stainless steel (also known as 1.4542 or 630) has an outstanding combination of high strength and good corrosion resistance, with excellent mechanical properties at high temperatures. It is used in a wide range of industrial applications, including those with mildly corrosive environments and high-strength requirements.

3D Printing Process

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)

Properties

Outstanding combination of high strength and good corrosion resistance
Excellent mechanical properties at high temperatures
High hardness
Good thermal properties

Applications include

Industrial prototypes and end-use parts including

Aerospace and energy sector
Chemical and petrochemical industries
Medical applications, including surgical instruments
parts subjected to high wear

3D printed 316L metal parts - DMLS laser powder bed fusion, DMLS (courtesy of One Click Metal).png

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About 17-4 PH Stainless Steel (1.4542, 630)

Stainless steel 17-4 stainless steel (also known as 1.4542 stainless or 630 grade) provides an outstanding combination of high strength, good mechanical properties, good corrosion resistance, outstanding wear resistance and good toughness at temperatures up to 310°C. Hardening is achieved through the addition of Chromium and Nickel. It also contains Copper and Niobium to improve it's material properties.

This material is used in parts that need significant strength but must avoid carbon steel’s propensity for rusting.17-4 PH is used in chemical, petrochemical, paper, medical and general metalworking industries.

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) 3D Printing Process

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) is a common additive manufacturing technique that is also referred to as Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) or Select Laser Melting (SLM). This process builds metal parts by selectively fusing stainless steel powder in thin layers using a laser. This process is ideal for printing precise, high-resolution parts with complex geometries and a very fine level of detail. Parts that are printed using DMLS are stronger, denser, and can be more precise than casted metal parts.

Best for specialty production, including:

complex metal parts with intricate details and delicate features
parts requiring a high level of precision and detail
parts designed for demanding environments
functional prototypes and end-use parts
low- to mid-volume production

DMLS metal 3D printed prototypes and production parts (courtesy of One Click Metal).png

Finishing Options

Bead Blasting

Parts are blasted with fine glass bead to smooth surfaces and give a matte appearance. Recommended for consumer-facing parts.

Standard

All parts are cleaned and ready for use when shipped. There may be layer lines and residual marks from support structures.

Technical Specifications

Mechanical Properties

Properties	Values	Standard
Reduction of area Z [%]	64	3
Elongation at break A [%]	17	1
Tensile strength Rm [MPa]	1174	8
Yield strength Rp0.2 [MPa]	570	13
Elongation at Break	3.9 - 7.9%	ASTM E8M
Tensile strength, yield	620 - 700 MPa	ASTM E8M
Tensile Strain (@ 1.5%)	950 MPa
Tensile Strain (@ 0.9%)	800 MPa
Tensile Strain (@ 0.1%)	200 MPa
Tensile strength, ultimate	877-947 MPa	ASTM E8M
Hardness (HRC)	25.4-27.4	ASTM E18

Property	Result
As built Ra [μm]	3
As built Rz [μm]	14
Blasted Ra [μm]	2
Blasted Rz [μm]	8
Average Defect	< 0.1

Surface Quality

(measured along the z axis)

Title	Specifications
Build envelope	150x150x150 mm
Layer thickness	20μm

Build Specifications

Element	Composition
C	< 0.07
Cr	15 - 17
Cu	3.5 - 5
Fe	Balance
Mn	< 1.0
Nb	< (5x%C) - 0.45
Ni	3 - 5
Si	< 1.0

Composition (wt. %)

Design Guidelines

Maximum part size

150 x 150 x 150 mm³ with a 20 mm radius

Minimum wall thickness

0.3 mm

Minimum embossed feature

X/Y W 0.2 mm

H 0.1 mm

Z W 0.2 mm
H 0.1 mm

Minimum hole size

0.5 mm vertical

0.8 mm horizontal

Holes

The use of support structures for horizontal holes can be avoided by changing the circular hole shape to a teardrop shape, which uses a self-supporting angle. This eliminates the need for additional supports.