Direct Ink Writing of Porous Ti6Al4V Alloys via UV Light Curing

Although 3D printing of titanium alloys is often obtained by laser fusion deposition, its cost is relatively high. In this study, one light-curing-assisted technique is designed to print porous Ti6Al4V alloys via direct ink writing (DIW). For printing, titanium alloy slurry with 45 vol% solid content is prepared based on 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate monomer-trimethylolpropane triacrylate monomer (HDDA-TMPTA) photosensitive system. In such a case, the extruded filament was in situ cured under the action of UV light irradiation in the printing process. The printed lattice sample has good surface performance without the observation of a collapse. After sintering, the shrinkage percentage is around 16% in the horizontal direction and 19% in the vertical direction. Surface morphology does not change significantly. Through comparative tests, it is found that the sintered samples have good microstructure and mechanical properties. When the filling rate is 50%, the compressive strength could reach 604.7 MPa and the flexural strength is 106.8 MPa. The feasibility of this new printing method to prepare titanium alloy parts are confirmed.

Automated summary

A novel light-curing-assisted technique was utilized to print porous Ti6Al4V alloys via direct ink writing (DIW), showing good microstructure and mechanical properties in the sintered samples. The feasibility of this method for producing titanium alloy parts was confirmed.