The use of EBSD for analysis of additively manufactured materials

A wealth of information on the structure of materials made by additive manufacturing (AM) processes can be obtained by Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) mapping of polished sections. Data such as the size, shape and orientation of the grains and their distribution can be obtained, and when quantified reveals information on the manufacturing process or can be related to the physical properties of the components produced. Using EBSD datasets acquired from AM produced Ni-base superalloys, multiple examples are used to illustrate the information available and to show how spatial variation can be easily represented. Particular attention is paid to ensuring that useful and reliable comparisons between datasets can be produced.