Research results presented at Euro PM2026 in Budapest

At the Euro PM2026 Congress & Exhibition, held from 11 to 14 October 2026 in Budapest (Hungary), Jonathan Hann from the Chair of New Manufacturing Technologies and Materials at the University of Wuppertal presented current research results obtained within the DFG Research Unit 5620. In his contribution entitled “Comparative Study on DED-LB/M Processing of the Martensitic Hardenable Tool Steel X38CrMo7-2 Using Cored Wire- and Powder-Based Feedstock”, he compared cored wire and powder as feedstock for laser-based directed energy deposition of a tool steel.

The presented work investigates the influence of the feedstock on the processability, microstructure and hardness of the martensitic hardenable tool steel X38CrMo7-2 in the as-built condition and after quenching and tempering. Both feedstocks enabled the fabrication of dense and crack-free structures without preheating. However, the process parameters could not be transferred directly from one feedstock to the other. The cored wire achieved a considerably higher material utilization, while the powder yielded a higher and more uniform hardness. The results thus highlight a trade-off between resource efficiency in the process and the achievable component properties. Further work will address the adaptation of the process control over the build height as well as the wear behavior of the structures.

The subsequent discussion and numerous conversations alongside the congress enabled an intensive exchange with the international powder metallurgy and AM community and provided valuable input for further work within the research unit.

To the publication: DOI 10.59499/EP267150141