Corrosion of Additively Manufactured Alloys: A Review

Additive manufacturing (AM), often termed 3D printing, has recently emerged as a mainstream means of producing metallic components from a variety of metallic alloys. The numerous benefits of AM include net shape manufacturing, efficient use of material, suitability to low volume production runs, and the ability to explore alloy compositions not previously accessible to conventional casting. The process of AM, which is nominally performed using laser (or electron) based local melting, has a definitive role in the resultant alloy microstructure. Herein, the corrosion of alloys prepared by AM using laser and electron-based methods, relating the corrosion performance to the microstructural features influenced by AM processing, are reviewed. Such features include unique porosity, grain structures, dislocation networks, residual stress, solute segregation, and surface roughness. Correlations between reported results and deficiencies in present understanding are highlighted.