Manufacturing of porous-structured Ti6Al4V alloy by selective laser melting: surface roughness, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance

Abstract Selective laser melting, as one of additive manufacturing technologies, enables the quick production of complex-shaped three-dimensional components directly from powders for the applications of biological graft and bearing structure. Ti6Al4V alloy is wildly used for bone substitutes due to its high strength, high fatigue resistance and corrosion resistance. Ti6Al4V alloy with porous structure was fabricated by selective laser melting. The effect of process parameters on the surface roughness, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance was studied. The microstructure was observed by SEM and the tensile properties of the porous components were measured. The results show that the selective laser melting is an effective personalized fabrication of bone substitutes.