Effects of Process Parameters on the Corrosion Resistance and Biocompatibility of Ti6Al4V Parts Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting.

Abstract

Excellent biocompatibility and corrosion resistance of implants are essential for Ti6Al4V parts fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) for biomedical applications. To achieve better corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of Ti6Al4V parts, the effects of SLM processing parameters on the corrosion resistance and the biocompatibility of Ti6Al4V parts are investigated by changing the scanning speeds and laser powers. The detailed influence mechanism of processing parameters on the properties of Ti6Al4V parts is studied from two aspects, including microstructure and defects. It is found that the corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of Ti6Al4V parts can be adjusted by changing the scanning speed and the laser power due to the constituent phase and the number and size of defect holes of Ti6Al4V parts. Compared with the laser power, the scanning speed has a stronger influence on the performance of the part, which can be used as “coarse tuning” based on the performance requirements. At the scanning speed of 1100 mm/s and the laser power of 280 W, Ti6Al4V parts with better corrosion resistance can be obtained. Ti6Al4V parts with better biocompatibility are fabricated at the scanning speed of 1200 mm/s and the laser power of 200 W.