Design of Easy-To-Use Structural Alloy Feedstocks for Additive Manufacturing

There is a military and industry need for easy-to-use, versatile alloys for metals additive manufacturing (3D printing) that print consistently regardless of the specific process or machine and without requiring in-depth metallurgical or manufacturing knowledge. Such capability is critical for soldiers to be able to make needed items on demand in the theater of war. In addition, the alloy will be highly useful for industry to produce prototype parts and as an ideal choice for general purpose use. Toward meeting this need, a CALPHAD and machine learning based framework was established and used to design a highly printable AM alloy with consistent property and microstructural reproducibility. Phase I demonstrated consistent grain structure and reproducible tensile strength within 5% between specimens. Phase II will expand the computational framework for optimized AM alloy discovery and expand testing to additional AM systems and feedstock lots. The designed alloys will be low-cost, readily available (defined by a robust U.S. supply chain), and “just work” with consistent properties. Phase II will design alloy composition and feedstock characteristics to (i) mitigate environmental effects, and (ii) exhibit consistent and useful properties through development of grain-refining phases. Statistical data will quantify the properties and reproducibility.