Effect of Co-Coated Al2O3 Composite Powders on LPBF-Manufactured CoCrMo Alloy

In this study, we systematically examined the influence mechanisms of introduced cobalt coated alumina (Co-coated Al2O3) particles on the microstructure and properties of cobalt-chromium-molybdenum (CoCrMo) alloy printed by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). The Co-coated Al2O3 composite powders with different density of cobalt coating were prepared by varying Al2O3 load from 1 g/150 mL to 2 g/150 mL during the electroless plating process. Then they were mixed with CoCrMo powders in the proportion of 1 wt.% and formed standard samples by LPBF technology. The results showed that the addition of Co-coated Al2O3 particles improved the friction performance of CoCrMo alloys significantly. The wear depth of CCM@2Al2O3 was only 2.18 μm and the wear volume of it was about 10% of pure CoCrMo alloy. The CoCrMo alloy introduced the Co-coated Al2O3 particles with a 1 g/150 mL Al2O3 load formed metal-ceramic bonding interface, which solved the problem of poor wettability between Al2O3 and matrix in LPBF process. Such CoCrMo alloy exhibited excellent tensile properties and the mean microhardness of it reached 379.9 ± 3.5 HV0.5.