Microstructural and mechanical properties of a novel cobalt and titanium free maraging steel for laser powder bed fusion

Maraging steels are widely used in Additive Manufacturing due to their good processability and outstanding combination of strength and toughness. 18Ni300 is one of the most employed maraging steels. However, it contains cobalt, which has recently been strictly regulated due to its environmental and health hazards, having been classified as carcinogenic. Moreover, this steel contains Ti, showing a high affinity for oxygen, leading to high oxide fractions in powder and final parts. In the current work an ultrahigh strength Co and Ti free maraging steel for AM was processed and characterized. The results were then compared to 18Ni300. The novel alloy, processed with Powder Bed Fusion - Laser Beam (PBF-LB) shows hardness, yield strength, and tensile strength of 525 HV1, 1475 MPa, and 1588 MPa, respectively, after solution annealing and aging treatments.