Processing Techniques, Microstructural and Mechanical Properties of Additive Manufactured 316L Stainless Steel: Review

The 316L stainless steel owing to its good combination of mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, fabricability, and weldability finds applications in pharmaceutical, food, and other industries where high corrosion resistance is of prime importance. Nowadays, this alloy is finding increasing favor to produce orthopedic implants using modern techniques like additive manufacturing. In the past, several manufacturing methods have been widely used in the field of aerospace, naval, automobile, biomedical, and other industrial sectors. Traditional methods of manufacturing are the most adaptable and cost-effective of all the processes that have been developed; however, these techniques have limitations to manufacturing complicated design and waste management. In recent years, the additive manufacturing technique is widely used in handling complicated geometrical structures. Additive manufacturing technology has seen a major transformation in the manufacturing world as a result of recent technological advancements. In additive manufacturing, the development process began with polymers, progressed to composites, and finally to nanocomposites. Additive manufacturing offers a small waste production management solution with improved procedures. Additive manufacturing outperforms conventional methods to fabricate high-quality and intricate stainless steel, difficult-to-develop machine components. This paper aims to discuss the principal of various traditional and additive manufacturing techniques used for creating many grades of stainless steel. Consequently, the microstructural and mechanical properties of steels have been examined and compared for various applications, like orthopedic implants, and other engineering applications. © The Institution of Engineers (India) 2023.