Manufacturing and characterization of in-situ alloyed Ti6Al4V(ELI)-3 at.% Cu by laser powder bed fusion
Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
Biofunctionalization of Ti6Al4V alloy with metallic agents like Ag or Cu is a promising approach to add anti-bacterial properties and thus to reduce the risk of implant failure. This research investigates the
in-situ alloying of Ti6Al4V(ELI) with 3 at.% Cu powders using Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF). The
morphology and geometrical characteristics of the single tracks and layers were studied.
Laser powers of 170 W and 340 W, and scanning speeds ranging from 0.4 to 1.4 m/s and 0.8–2.8
m/s were implemented. Single track results showed balling effect and humping at high scanning
speeds, 1.4 m/s and 1.6 m/s, for each laser powder respectively. Conversely, keyhole
formation occurred at lower scanning speeds of 0.4–0.6 m/s for 170 W laser power, and
below and
0.8 m/s for 340 W laser power. For both laser powers, single layers resulted in
smoother surfaces at lower scanning speeds. These results were used for the development of
optimal process parameters for 3D cubes with
99.9 % density. Optimal process parameters were found for 170 W and 340 W laser
powders at 0.7−0.9 and 1.0–1.2 m/s scanning speeds, respectively.
In-situ alloying by L-PBF was challenging and a homogeneous distribution of Cu within the alloy was
hard to achieve. The increase in laser power from 170 to 340 W resulted in small
increase in homogenization. Microstructural analyses after stress-relieving treatment showed the
presence of α’ and β phases, as well as CuTi₂ intermetallic precipitates. The finer microstructure
together with CuTi₂ intermetallic precipitates resulted in an increase in hardness. This study
demonstrates the potential for printing in-situ alloyed Ti6Al4V(ELI)- 3 at.% Cu for biomedical
applications. However, further studies are required to determine the effectiveness of antibacterial
properties.
Description
CITATION: Vilardell, A. M., et al. 2020. Manufacturing and characterization of in-situ alloyed Ti6Al4V(ELI)-3 at.% Cu by laser powder bed fusion. Additive Manufacturing, 36:101436, doi:1016/j.addma.2020.101436.
The original publication is available at http://www.scielo.org.za
The original publication is available at http://www.scielo.org.za
Keywords
Laser powder bed fusion, Biomedical materials, Three-dimentional printing, Additive manufacturing
Citation
Vilardell, A. M., et al. 2020. Manufacturing and characterization of in-situ alloyed Ti6Al4V(ELI)-3 at.% Cu by laser powder bed fusion. Additive Manufacturing, 36:101436, doi:1016/j.addma.2020.101436