Cutting-edge 3D printing technology can be used to produce ultra-high-strength commercial titanium alloys with unprecedented mechanical properties, according to new research from Monash University.
“Titanium alloys require complex casting and thermo-mechanical processing to achieve the high strengths required for some critical applications,” the researchers explained. “We found that additive manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing can leverage their unique manufacturing process to produce high-quality titanium alloys in commercially available titanium alloys.” Super strong and thermally stable parts are created within the alloy.”
In the latest study, the research team achieved a tensile strength of over 1600 MPa after a simple heat treatment of a commercial titanium alloy, the highest specific strength of any 3D printed metal to date. Structural materials with excellent performance and wide application in many fields have paved the way.
Over the past decade, 3D printing technology has ushered in a new era of metal fabrication due to its ability to create parts with virtually any geometry. Titanium alloys are currently the main 3D printed metal parts used in the aerospace field, but most commercial titanium alloys made with 3D printing technology cannot achieve satisfactory properties, so they cannot be used in certain fields or are not satisfactory, especially It is their lack of strength at room temperature and high temperature.
“The latest research provides a completely new method for precipitation strengthening of commercial alloys that can be used to produce real parts with complex shapes for load-bearing applications, where no titanium alloys have been used to date,” said the researchers. We did this by 3D printing coupled with simple heat treatment, which also means that the process costs for the latest technology are significantly lower compared to other materials of similar strength.”
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