Ultra-precision surface treatment of beta-titanium alloy printed using laser and electron beam melting sources

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a near net shape fabrication technology offering exceptional design freedom for complex part production. However, the inadequate surface quality and poorly generated micro-features adversely affect the functional performance of metal AM parts thereby restricting the direct adoption in biomedical implantation applications. Ultra-precision diamond turning (UPDT) can be regarded as a possible solution to overcome the aforementioned challenges in metal AM. However, the machinability of metal AM parts at ultra-precision level is highly sensitive to the material specific attributes and microstructure generated by the thermal characteristics of the process. In light of this, the present study follows a novel direction by investigating the dependence of distinct material characteristics imparted by two different AM powder melting sources on the ultra-precision post-treatment performance. Experiments were conducted on laser and electron beam printed beta-Ti alloy (Ti-15Mo-5Zr-3Al) which has potential importance in biomedical applications. The results demonstrate that the microstructural variations in respective samples affect the process performance and final surface integrity. The samples printed using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) achieved a final surface finish (Sa) of ∼66.3 nm after UPDT relative to the electron beam powder bed fusion (EPBF) samples (∼104.3 nm). The cutting forces tends to exhibit sharp dip in forces in case of LPBF samples when micro-cutting was done perpendicular to the beam scanning direction. The chip morphology analysis corresponding to the LPBF and EPBF samples substantiates the generation of chips with segmentation/serrations on the free chip surface and parent material adhesion on the tool-chip contact surface. Further, precise microfeature generation was successfully accomplished on both the samples with minimal dimensional deviations on LPBF sample. Thus, the outcomes of the study establish the potential of UPDT in elevating the bioimplant surface standards of beta-Ti alloy with superior performance in LPBF samples.