Abstract
Additive manufacturing, especially laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), allows the build-up of complex parts and is, therefore, used in various industries. In order to exploit the potential in the automotive industry, the range of materials must be extended to include case-hardening steels, which are used in drivetrain parts. This paper examines the distortion of samples manufactured of the case-hardening steel 16MnCr5 (1.7131) via LPBF at varied baseplate temperatures and shielding gases, and also closely evaluates the resulting microstructure and hardness. Depending on the baseplate temperature, tempering or stress-relief annealing effects can be observed. For further insights into the process chain, dependencies between case hardening properties and manufacturing parameters are described.