Microstructural and Mechanical Characterization of Thin-Walled Tube Manufactured with Selective Laser Melting for Stent Application

Abstract This paper focuses on microstructural and mechanical characterization of metallic thin-walled tube produced with additive manufacturing (AM), as a promising alternative technique for the tubes feedstock stents micromachining. Tubes, wall thickness 500 ? m, were made 316L stainless steel using selective laser melting. Its surface roughness, constituting phases, underlying microstructures chemical composition analyzed. The dependence hardness elastic modulus crystallographic orientation investigated electron backscatter diffraction nanoindentation. Spherical nanoindentation was performed to extract indentation stress–strain curve from load–displacement data. obtained results compared those commercial stent. Both stent samples fully austenitic, as-fabricated finish much rougher than Microstructural revealed that had columnar coarse grain microstructure, equiaxed grains in Berkovich suggested an effect Young’s modulus. curves yield strength similar. work is important step toward AM patient-specific stents.