Process parameter effects on melt pool dimensions along the build height and multi-criteria optimization in LPBF of M300 maraging steel

Process parameter effects on melt pool dimensions along the build height and multi-criteria optimization in LPBF of M300 maraging steel | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Process parameter effects on melt pool dimensions along the build height and multi-criteria optimization in LPBF of M300 maraging steel Hakan Rasim Öztürk, Tobias Redlich, Jens Peter Wulfsberg This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7640164/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 26 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Progress in Additive Manufacturing → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) involves a wide range of process parameters that critically influence the final quality, microstructure, and mechanical performance of fabricated parts. Key factors such as energy input, melt pool geometry and stability, cooling rates, residual stresses, defect formation, and surface characteristics determine both the robustness of the process and the resulting material properties. This study investigates the evolution of melt pool dimensions and their variation along the build height, while introducing a new multi-criteria evaluation approach for identifying robust parameter sets. A full-factorial Design of Experiments (DoE) was conducted on M300 maraging steel (EN 1.2709, 18Ni-300), with systematic variations in laser power (210–240 W), scan speed (700–840 mm/s), and hatch distance (80–96 µm). The influence of these parameters on porosity, hardness, melt pool geometry, and melt pool stability was analyzed. An interim evaluation focusing on porosity and melt pool variation identified five promising parameter sets for further investigation, including tensile testing and detailed melt pool analysis along the build height (0.04–60 mm). Finally, a multi-criteria evaluation approach, the Porosity–Variation–Strength Score (PVS Score), was introduced. This method enabled the identification of an optimal parameter set for M300 maraging steel that simultaneously ensured nearly zero porosity, high tensile strength, and low mean melt pool variation. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 26 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Progress in Additive Manufacturing → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7640164","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":522177541,"identity":"89927f50-c96b-4b4a-a42e-d084687b0288","order_by":0,"name":"Hakan Rasim Öztürk","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA/0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBADAwYJBmYgbZMAJNiALGZ8qhkbkLSkka7lMGEt/Oztzx/zVNwzZpBufmzwc8f5PPkZCWyPCxis5XBpkew5kNjMc6bYjEHmmHFi75nbxQY3EtiNZzCkG+PSAlRwsJm3LcGGQSLB+ABv2+3EDRL536R5GA4nNuDScv9hYzPvP5CW9M8H/7adS5wPdBhISz1OLTeYGZt5GxLMGCRyjJN52w4kNtyAaEnA7Zc0xplzjiUYs0nkFBvLtiUnbjjzAKjFIN0Qly387McffHhTk2DYL5G+WfJtm13i/HaQLRXW8rhsgQM2NAcT1DAKRsEoGAWjAA8AAFA7UJbiFGfvAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Helmut-Schmidt-University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hakan","middleName":"Rasim","lastName":"Öztürk","suffix":""},{"id":522177543,"identity":"aa078957-1e7d-4231-9f35-7feb455edcbc","order_by":1,"name":"Tobias Redlich","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Helmut-Schmidt-University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tobias","middleName":"","lastName":"Redlich","suffix":""},{"id":522177547,"identity":"f1afc5b9-f944-470b-9077-44bc5c43aad6","order_by":2,"name":"Jens Peter Wulfsberg","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Helmut-Schmidt-University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jens","middleName":"Peter","lastName":"Wulfsberg","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-09-17 12:23:34","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7640164/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7640164/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40964-025-01512-8","type":"published","date":"2026-02-26T15:58:47+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":103766322,"identity":"5f49a7eb-a75e-4e8b-a48d-ede176937f04","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-02 16:13:46","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1388009,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscriptanonymousv2.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7640164/v1_covered_c218195c-3b10-44ed-b07d-80ebb34259b0.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Process parameter effects on melt pool dimensions along the build height and multi-criteria optimization in LPBF of M300 maraging steel","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7640164/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7640164/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) involves a wide range of process parameters that critically influence the final quality, microstructure, and mechanical performance of fabricated parts. 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Finally, a multi-criteria evaluation approach, the Porosity–Variation–Strength Score (PVS Score), was introduced. 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