Laser Polishing of Ti6Al4V Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting

Abstract

Selective laser melting (SLM) is emerging as a promising 3D printing method for orthopedic and dental applications. However, SLM-based Ti6Al4V components frequently exhibit high roughness values and partial surface defects. Laser polishing (LP) is a newly developed technology to improve the surface quality of metals. In this research, LP is applied to improve the surface finish of components. The results show that the laser beam can neatly ablate the aggregates of metallic globules and repair cracks and pores on the surface, resulting in a smooth surface with nanocomposites. Overall, the results indicate that using LP optimizes surface morphology to favor fatigue behavior and osteoblastic differentiation. These findings provide foundational data to improve the surface roughness of a laser-polished implant and pave the way for optimized mechanical behavior and biocompatibility via the laser process.

Laser polishing of additive manufactured Ti6Al4V alloy: a review

“…Finally, the reduced porosity in the laser-polished layer increases the hardness and density of the material. Many articles 12,48,52 have similar reports. Li et al 52 found that the microhardness was 426 HV, which was about 25% higher than the as-received sample (340 HV), as shown in Fig.…”

“…To obtain a high precision machined surface, it is necessary to optimize the process parameters. Liang et al 12 and Zhou et al 48 experimentally studied the relationship between the laser polishing process parameters of Ti6Al4V alloy and the surface quality and finally obtained the optimal combination of process parameters. Table 1 summarizes the surface roughness of laser polished Ti6Al4V alloy and lists the optimum process parameters corresponding to the surface roughness.…”

“…Therefore, the surface with the highest precision can be machined by the optimized process parameters. Liang et al 12 studied the influence of three different laser power densities (0.853 × 10 5 , 1.703 × 10 5 , and 2.503 × 10 5 w∕cm 2 ) on the surface roughness of polished workpiece and found that the Ra value at 1.703 × 10 5 w∕cm 2 was the minimum, reaching 2.1 μm. With the increase of power density (2.503 × 10 5 w∕cm 2 ), surface roughness increased.…”

“…11 Furthermore, SLM can manufacture parts without any special tools, shorten the design and production cycle, and realize free and efficient machining. 12 SLM technology can also produce multimaterial components, which is called multimaterial printing, to meet specific applications. 13 Multimaterial design can be used in fusion reactors 14 and the automobile and aviation industries, 15 but multimetal components with AM still face many challenges.…”

Novel Development of Implant Elements Manufactured through Selective Laser Melting 3D Printing

“…Titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–4V) samples produced using selective laser melting (SLM) technology have been widely studied over the years. [ 1–6 ] The effects of heat treatment on the mechanical properties and microstructure of Ti–6Al–4V parts have been widely investigated. [ 7 ] Moreover, the significant effects of heat treatment and specimen building direction on the dynamic behavior of SLM produced Ti–6Al–4V have also been reported.…”