Precipitates formation and evolution in a Co-based alloy produced by powder bed fusion

Metal additive manufacturing is strongly employed in aerospace and biomedical applications, whose high degree of customization and low production volumes are the main characteristics. Cobalt-based alloys have been widely used for dental prosthesis and can be produced via metal additive manufacturing, or rather powder bed fusion, in a more convenient way compared to traditional manufacturing techniques. In the present paper, a comprehensive study of the tight correlation between the microstructure and the static mechanical properties of Co-Cr-Mo-W samples produced by powder bed fusion, is reported. In particular, the formation of precipitates during the sintering process is observed, and the evolution of their size, shape and frequency due to post-processing and to a heat-treatment typical of dental applications, is exhaustively studied. By coupling different characterization techniques such as scanning transmission electron microscopy and small-angle neutron scattering, it was possible to correlate the ductility degradation of the samples with the formation and growth of coarse and elongated precipitates.