Question

After additively manufacturing a part, many manufacturers will perform Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) to remove pores from the material. These pores form naturally as part of the process of additive manufacturing, and negatively affect the fatigue life and mechanical properties of the part. After HIP, the material often becomes soft since the high temperature of the process also removes the microstructure.

What process would you use to strengthen the material after the HIP process without changing shape of the part, and why?

Answer 1

I would recommend going for heat treatment process after Hot Isostatic Pressing. Unlike strengthening mechanisms like forming operations, heat treatment does not change the shape of the part but changes microstructure to bring desired properties. We can perform annealing operation to improve the strength of the component.

Annealing involves reheating to a temperature below its melting point and then allowing to slowly cool. This reheating causes smaller crystals to form within the larger original grains. This tighter crystalline matrix makes the metal stronger and increases ductility. The metal’s shape hasn’t been changed, but its desirable characteristics have been increased.