The Additive Manufacturing (AM) of Titanium Alloys

Abstract

High cost is the major reason that there is not more wide-spread use of titanium alloys. Powder Metallurgy (P/M) represents one cost effective approach to fabrication of titanium components and Additive Manufacturing (AM) is an emerging attractive PM Technique . In this paper AM is discussed with the emphasis on the “work horse” titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V. The various approaches to AM are presented and discussed, followed by some examples of components produced by AM. The microstructures and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V produced by AM are listed and shown to compare very well with cast and wrought product. Finally, the economic advantages to be gained using the AM technique compared to conventionally processed material are presented. Key words: Additive Manufacturing (AM), 3D Printing, CAD, CAM, Laser, Electron beam, near net shape, remanufacturing, Powder Bed Fusion (PBF), Direct Energy Deposition (DED)