Improved Resolution and Mechanical Properties of Porous Coatings and Cellular Structures In Ti6Al4V Manufactured with Electron Beam Melting

 

Electron Beam Melting (EBM) is a technology for Additive Manufacturing of metal parts. The parts are produced in a vacuum chamber by additive consolidation of thin layers of metal powder. EBM opens up new degrees of freedom in the design of complex 3D geometries. EBM also allows the unique possibility to produce parts with tailored porosity (cellular structures). Since 2007, EBM is in full commercial use for production of medical implants in various titanium alloys, e.g. Ti6Al4V.

The new MultiBeam^TM functionality together with finer powder and thinner layers enables higher resolution and more fine-meshed cellular structures than before. The aim of the ongoing study is to be at par or better than any available Additive Manufacturing method for producing trabecular structures for osseointegration. We will report the first results of this new “high-resolution” EBM process, including basic material properties and a SEM investigation of the cellular structures.