Selective laser sintering of gas and water atomized high speed steel powders

To understand the effect of particle size and morphology on laser sinterability, three different sizes of water atomized M3/2 powders and a gas atomized M2 powder were subjected to selective laser sintering (SLS) using different laser power and a constant scan rate of 1 mm/s. The surfaces of the as-sintered samples were examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM). SLS of gas atomized M2 powder resulted in the formation of a homogeneous and dense layer. The laser sintered water atomized M3/2 layers consisted of agglomerates and inter-agglomerate pores.