Engineers Create Higher-Strength Titanium Alloy Using 3D Printing

There is no doubt about the boom that 3D printing has had in recent years as it has been implemented in different areas such as health, where the capabilities of this technology to print dental implants and bone prostheses have been seen.

Likewise, 3D printing made it possible to manufacture medical supplies, such as adapters for respirators, protective screens, among others, to combat the coronavirus.

A team of Monash University engineers recently released a study showing how advanced 3D printing techniques could be used for develop an ultra-high-strength commercial titanium alloywhich could significantly contribute to improving the projects carried out in the biomedical industry, as well as in the energy, defense, aerospace and space industries.

In this sense, the team of Australian researchers made use of a 3D printing method to be able to manipulate a new microstructureultimately achieving revolutionary mechanical performance.

It is worth mentioning that this project was launched making use of available alloys in the marketand can be applied immediately. In this regard, the teacher Aijun Huangone of the people in charge of the investigation expressed:

Titanium alloys require a complex casting process to achieve the high strengths that some critical applications require. We have found that additive manufacturing can take advantage of its unique manufacturing process to create ultra-strong, thermally stable parts in commercial titanium alloys, which can be applied directly in service.

It has been in the last decade that 3D printing has become the most efficient method for manufacturing metals thanks to the design freedom it offers and the ability to obtain almost any geometric part.

Currently titanium alloys they constitute the metallic components that are most manufactured by 3D printing.

Despite this, most of these alloys are not suitable enough for structural applications. One of the reasons is its low resistance at ambient temperatures, as well as in extreme service conditions.

Over time, it is hoped that the results of this study will help to obtain broader knowledge about the principles of strengthening and dislocation engineering in the field of physical metallurgy.