Design and Demonstration of Three High-performance Aluminum Alloys for Additive Manufacturing

The most studied aluminum alloys in Additive Manufacturing are based on Al-Si-Mg systems because they can be easily printed without cracking, but they are low strength and therefore cannot be used in demanding aerospace applications. High strength Al alloys such as 6000 or 7000 series that are used in wrought forms in aerospace typically suffer from cracking issues when atomized and put through the AM process.

QuesTek has leveraged its Integrated Computational Materials Engineering approach to design three new Al alloys with metallurgical concepts that take advantage of the fast cooling rate typical of laser powder bed fusion process to impart unique microstructures and properties.

This talk will present on three new scandium-free Al alloys focused on (i) room temperature service, (ii) high temperature service >200°C and (iii) high strength combined with a high corrosion resistance which have each been atomized, printed on EOS machines and tested.

The alloy design approach and underlying metallurgical concepts, metallurgical analysis, and new data from AM prints will all be discussed.