Nitriding Behaviour and Microstructure of High-Nitrogen Stainless Steel during Selective Laser Melting.

High-nitrogen stainless steels are widely used due to their excellent comprehensive performance. In this study, the effects of process parameters (laser power, scanning speed, and cavity pressure) on the formation of high-nitrogen stainless steels were studied by using conventional selective laser melting and high-pressure selective laser melting (HPSLM). The nitrogen content, nitrogen emission, phase composition, microstructure, and microhardness of the high-nitrogen stainless steel samples obtained through selective laser melting (SLM) were analysed by using an oxygen/nitrogen/hydrogen analyser, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction.