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Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate how as-built electron beam melting (EBM) surface properties affect the onset of blood coagulation. The properties of EBM-manufactured implant surfaces for placement have, until now, remained largely unexplored in literature. Implants with conventional designs and custom-made implants have been manufactured using EBM technology and later placed into the human body. Many of the conventional implants used today, such as dental implants, display modified surfaces to optimize bone ingrowth, whereas custom-made implants, by and large, have machined surfaces. However, titanium in itself demonstrates good material properties for the purpose of bone ingrowth. Materials and Methods: Specimens manufactured using EBM were selected according to their surface roughness and process parameters. EBM-produced specimens, conventional machined titanium surfaces, as well as PVC surfaces for control were evaluated using the slide chamber model. Results: A significant increase in activation was found, in all factors evaluated, between the machined samples and EBM-manufactured samples. The results show that EBM-manufactured implants with as-built surfaces augment the thrombogenic properties. Conclusion: EBM that uses Ti6Al4V powder appears to be a good manufacturing solution for load-bearing implants with bone anchorage. The as-built surfaces can be used “as is” for direct bone contact, although any surface treatment available for conventional implants can be performed on EBM-manufactured implants with a conventional design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabrication of ITER First Wall (FW) Panel parts by two additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, selective laser melting (SLM) and electron beam melting (EBM), was supported by Fusion for Energy (F4E). For the first time, AM is applied to manufacture ITER In-Vessel parts with complex design. Fully dense SS316L was prepared by both SLM and EBM after developing optimized laser/electron beam parameters. Characterizations on the density, magnetic permeability, microstructure, defects and inclusions were carried out. Tensile properties, Charpy-impact properties and fatigue properties of SLM and EBM SS316L were also compared. ITER FW Panel parts were successfully fabricated by both SLM and EBM in a one-step building process. The SLM part has smoother surface, better size accuracy while the EBM part takes much less time to build. Issues with removing support structures might be solved by slightly changing the design of the internal cooling system. Further investigation of the influence of neutron irradiation on materials properties between the two AM technologies is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The surface roughness of products manufactured using the additive manufacturing (AM) technology of electron beam melting (EBM) has a special characteristic. Different product applications can demand rougher or finer surface structure, so the purpose of this study is to investigate the process parameters of EBM to find out how they affect surface roughness.Design/methodology/approach EBM uses metal powder to manufacture metal parts. A design of experiment plan was used to describe the effects of the process parameters on the average surface roughness of vertical surfaces.Findings The most important electron beam setting for surface roughness, according to this study, is a combination of “speed and current” in the contours. The second most important parameter is “contour offset”. The interaction between the “number of contours” and “contour offset” also appears to be important, as it shows a much higher probability of being active than any other interaction. The results show that the “line offset” is not important when using contours.Research limitations/implications This study examined “contour offset”, “number of contours”, “speed in combination with current” and “line offset”, which are process parameters controlling the electron beam.Practical implications The surface properties could have an impact on the product’s performance. A reduction in surface processing will not only save time and money but also reduce the environmental impact.Originality/value Surface properties are important for many products. New themes containing process parameters have to be developed when introducing new materials to EBM manufacturing. During this process, it is very important to understand how the electron beam affects the melt pool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the use of the additive manufacturing (AM) method, electron beam melting (EBM), for manufacturing of customized hip stems. The aim is to investigate EBM's feasibility and commercial potential in comparison with conventional machining, and to map out advantages and drawbacks of using EBM in this application. One part of the study concerns the influence on the fatigue properties of the material, when using the raw surface directly from the EBM machine, in parts of the implant. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on a case study of manufacturing a batch of seven individually adapted hip stems. The stems were manufactured both with conventional machining and with EBM technology and the methods were compared according to the costs of materials, time for file preparation and manufacturing. In order to enhance bone ingrowths in the medial part of the stem, the raw surface from EBM manufacturing is used in that area and initial fatigue studies were performed, to get indications on how this surface influences the fatigue properties. Findings – The cost reduction due to using EBM in this study was 35 per cent. Fatigue tests comparing milled test bars with raw surfaced bars indicate a reduction of the fatigue limit by using the coarse surface. Originality/value – The paper presents a detailed comparison of EBM and conventional machining, not seen in earlier research. The fatigue tests of raw EBM-surfaces are interesting since the raw surface has shown to enhance bone ingrowths and therefore is suitable to use in some medical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]