Titanium has excellent corrosion resistance and has the highest strength-density ratio among all metal elements. It can be used in combination with other elements to produce a strong, lightweight alloy that can be used in many high-performance applications in technology, manufacturing, and medicine.
In these fields, as an effective manufacturing method, 3D printing becomes more and more important. However, the titanium alloys currently used for additive manufacturing usually form cylindrical crystals and bond together during the printing process.
The resulting unfavorable grain structure makes them susceptible to cracking or deformation, so material damage is prone to occur. The result is that the titanium 3D printed components without additional processing are completely inoperable.
Now, a collaboration between researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), the University of Queensland and the Ohio State University reports that a new copper-containing titanium alloy seems to have solved this problem.
Control grain structure
"The main obstacle to the widespread adoption of metal 3D printing is the control of the grain structure." Professor Mark Easton of the School of Engineering at RMIT University explained. Because for solids and metals, only the formation of uniform and fine grain structure can work, of course, the same is true for titanium.
Easton added: "The alloys currently used in industry were originally designed for conventional manufacturing routes and not optimized for metal 3D printing. Therefore, we hope to design new alloys with high strength and optimal solidification performance , To take full advantage of all the processing advantages of metal 3D printing as a competitive manufacturing path for high-performance components. "
There may be further improvements
The team's first batch of tests showed that there were fewer defects in the additive manufacturing process and the material performance was good. In addition, copper has further positive advantages. Easton said: "Copper is widely known for its antibacterial effect, and the alloy can be used for antibacterial applications in the biomedical industry, such as dental applications."
Scientists are currently conducting extensive research to determine the performance of their new titanium-copper alloy. In the future, Professor RMIT hopes to further improve these elements by adding other elements or using heat treatment.