3D-printing with Inconel 718
Extremely environment resistant e.g. for high temperature applications.
Inconel is a nickel-based metallic alloy that is ideally suited for toolmaking for high-temperature applications. The material with the exact name Inconel 718 is extremely heat-resistant up to 700 °C. It is insensitive to corrosion and oxidation. Tensile and elongation strength as well as good elongation properties also characterise this alloy. Inconel is a good choice, especially in areas of application with high temperatures such as engine parts, turbines or heat exchange and piping systems. The material can also withstand very low, cryogenic temperature ranges, which is why 3D-printing with Inconel 718 is particularly suitable for use in the aerospace industry and motor sports.
Inconel 718 consists of a total of 14 components, with nickel making up the lion’s share with 50 to 55 %, followed by chromium with 17 to 21 %. Due to its positive properties in extreme environments, Inconel 718 is counted in the group of superalloys and here as a workhorse among materials.
FKM Technical Brochure
- Construction Recommendations
- Finishing
- Machinery Pool
- Tendering
The advantages at a glance
- resistant to high temperatures
- suitable for cryogenic environments
- resistant to corrosion and oxidation
- high tensile and elongation strength
- good creep and fracture resistance
Technical data
| Yield point Rp0,2 | 1000 – 1100 N/mm² |
| Tensile strength Rm | 1250 – 1350 N/mm² |
| Elongation at break A | 8 – 12 % |
| E-modulus | ca. 200 MPa |
| Thermal conductivity ʎ | ca. 12 W/mK |
| Coefficient of thermal expansion | ca. 13 • 10-6K-1 |
Applications and properties of Inconel 718
The material is available at FKM in powder form and is printed three-dimensionally using SLM (selective laser melting). The nickel-chromium alloy is particularly suitable when creep problems are to be expected in the planned application with the materials aluminium or steel due to extreme environments. Especially for complicated and filigree designs as well as components with the thinnest possible wall thicknesses and internal structures, the production of these with Inconel is cost-saving compared to other manufacturing methods.