Scan strategy induced microstructure and consolidation variation in the laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) additive manufacturing of low alloy 20MnCr5 steel

•Scanning strategy plays a crucial role in influencing the porosity of the low alloy 20MnCr5 steel.•Thermal profile analysis for the chessboard strategy revealed the excessive heating region in the boundary and corner of the individual squares.•Chessboard scanning strategy promotes the oxidation reaction and forms in-situ oxide (SiO2).•Macro-hardness of the as-built sample is influenced by the presence of porosity then the microstructural refinement.