1. Manufacturability of Ti-Al-4V Hollow-Walled Lattice Struts by Laser Powder Bed Fusion
- Author
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E. Kyriakou, S. Brudler, Ma Qian, Martin Leary, Milan Brandt, and J. Noronha
- Subjects
0209 industrial biotechnology ,Fusion ,Materials science ,General Engineering ,02 engineering and technology ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Laser ,Cylindrical channel ,law.invention ,Design for manufacturability ,020901 industrial engineering & automation ,law ,Inclination angle ,Lattice (order) ,Powder bed ,Inner diameter ,General Materials Science ,Composite material ,0210 nano-technology - Abstract
Hollow-walled lattices are novel cellular materials with lower densities than conventional dense-walled lattices. However, their manufacturability by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is not yet established. This study investigates the LPBF manufacturability of Ti-6Al-4V hollow-walled struts with respect to strut outer diameter, wall thickness (controlled by laser scan path), and inclination angle, while the strut length is purposely limited to 10–15 mm, typical of lattice unit dimensions. The manufacturability was reliable for outer diameters exceeding 0.5 mm and wall thicknesses exceeding 0.24 mm over the inclines of 22.5°–90°. To ensure a manufacturable hollow cylindrical channel by LPBF, we recommend a minimum inner diameter of 4Dv(90) according to the feedstock powder size distribution. The average inconsistency of 5.13% between the designed and manufactured outer diameters was substantially lower than that achievable by conventional manufacturing. The findings of this study provide necessary guidance for the future manufacture of hollow-walled lattices by LPBF.
- Published
- 2021
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