Abstract
The particle size distribution and powder morphology of metallic powders have an important effect on powder bed fusion based additive manufacturing processes, such as selective laser melting (SLM). The process development and parameter optimization require a fundamental understanding of the influence of powder on SLM. This study introduces a pre-alloyed titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V powder, which has a certain amount of small particles, for SLM. The influence of small particle inclusion is investigated through microscopy of surface topography, elemental and microstructural analysis, and mechanical testing, compared to the Ti-6Al-4V powder provided by SLM machine vendor. It is found that the small particles inclusion in Ti-6Al-4V powder has a noticeable effect on extra laser energy absorption, which may develop imperfections and deteriorate the SLM fatigue performance.
Highlights
Powder-bed-fusion based Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes, such as selective laser melting (SLM), are increasingly employed for fabricating metal parts
The SLM process undergoes a very high cooling rate which results in a lenticular martensitic (α) microstructure of Ti-6Al-4V, as shown in figure 5
The microstructure indicates that the small particles inclusion does not influence the formation of crystalline structures in the SLM process
Summary
Powder-bed-fusion based Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes, such as selective laser melting (SLM), are increasingly employed for fabricating metal parts. The SLM titanium alloy parts (e.g. Ti-6Al-4V) are of great interest for aerospace, biomedical and industrial applications due to its geometry complexity, fracture resistance, fatigue behavior, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility [1]. A number of studies have been conducted to characterize the on the mechanical properties of SLM Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Facchini et al [2] and Ramosoeu et al [3] characterized the microstructure and tested tensile properties of SLM Ti-6Al-4V parts. Studies were carried out on the applications of SLM Ti-6Al-4V parts in industry, aerospace, and medical implants. SLM process selectively melts metallic powder layer by layer based upon a sliced CAD file to build a part on a base plate. Inside the SLM building chamber, a recoating unit is used to feed new powder over
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