Modern day manufacturing is incredibly different to traditional processes. In the past the focus was primarily on things like casting, forging, and cutting. Today, you can use lasers, 3D printing, and many other techniques to make complex parts. We want to have a closer look at a specific area of this today; additive manufacturing. We’ll also cover why it is so beneficial for titanium. Then, if you want to order titanium Grade 5 (6AL4V) round bar or other products, you can speak to us.
What is it?
Additive manufacturing is a really impressive technique. What you do is build up a product layer by layer, adding material as you go. This means it is the complete opposite of traditional subtractive techniques that cut away material to make products.
An interesting thing here is additive manufacturing is older than most people think. Many see it as an emerging technology because of the development of things like 3D printing and powder bed fusion (PBF) in the last decade. However, the first use of it was for rapid prototyping in the 80s. It could quickly make models of parts, but they weren’t typically functional.
The advances in additive technology allowed the development of rapid tooling because it could create accurate moulds quickly. Since the 2000s though, it has been able to make functional final parts too. Today, it is a really useful technique, especially when you need to work with metals that cause challenges for traditional subtractive manufacturing.
Titanium and additive manufacturing
Anyone who has ever worked with titanium will know how challenging it can be. Whether it is titanium Grade 5 (6AL4V) round bar or other grades in different forms, there can be massive obstacles. For example, it is typically hard to cut with conventional tools and machining. There are issues such as springback, the shear strength, inconsistent chip thickness, and high hardness.
Luckily, additive machining and titanium work very well together. What you need is the material in a powder form. Because titanium has high thermal conductivity, it works well here.
Powder bed fusion (PBF) is one of the most common options for working with titanium. What you do apply a high energy laser to the powder. It generates heat, forcing the particles to fuse. It can then build up the product layer by layer from your design. PBF can create complex parts effectively. You can even have the equipment set up to pump inert gas into the chamber to ensure there is no oxidation. The drawback is you can typically only create small parts.
Another option is laser metal deposition (LMD). What happens here is you use the laser to create a melt pool on the surface of a base material. You then deposit the titanium powder on top to create the next layer. You can make bigger parts with LMD, but there are some challenges. For example, there is the potential for oxidation and concerns such as heat evacuation.
A third process is known as electron beam melting (EBM). The difference here is you have a high energy electron beam rather than a laser. It works similarly to PBF though in that it generates heat to fuse particles of metal powder to form the product. The advantage is it offers high speed, but with the drawback of lower accuracy and a poorer surface finish.
Do you want to order titanium Grade 5 (6AL4V) round bar?
Grade 5 titanium is one of the most popular choices for additive manufacturing. However, as we said, it must be in powder form. There are two ways to do this. Firstly is gas atomisation. Here you melt the metal and then use a powerful jet of gas to create fine powder particles. Secondly is plasma atomisation. This is a single step process where you use argon plasma torches to melt and atomise metal wire, creating the powder.
It is important to think carefully about how the titanium powder was made. This will have an impact on crucial features like particle size and the characteristics.
If you are planning a project and want to use titanium Grade 5 (6AL4V) round bar, you should come to us. We have it in stock in a range of sizes. The quality is excellent because we only work with reputable manufacturers. So, get in touch if you want to place an order or need further details about the materials.