Binder Jetting Of M2 Tool Steel Metals: Processability And Properties

Binder Jetting Additive Manufacturing technology permits the processing of a wide range of different metallic alloys which cannot be easily manufactured by other AM means, as they may present undesired microstructures or anisotropic functional properties. For this reason, it has been found that BJ can be a suitable AM technology for processing tool steels and obtaining high quality parts with isotropic properties. In the present work, commercial M2 tool steel powder was studied and processed by Binder Jetting under different processing conditions. After some optimization work, near full density was achieved (>99%), together with MIM-like microstructure and hardness (51 HRC). Therefore, this study demonstrates that good quality M2 parts can be obtained by means of BJ, opening new design and manufacturing possibilities for more complex and advanced tooling applications.