Cellular titanium by selective electron beam melting

The fabrication of cellular titanium by Electron Beam Melting (EBM) was investigated. Gas atomized prealloyed Ti-6Al-4V powder in a size range of 45-100μm was used as raw material. The cellular titanium was fabricated by generating a 3D-hatched -structures by a hatching process with the electron beam scanning the powder layer in parallel lines with defined spacing. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used for the examination of the fabricated structures. Compression tests were conducted to determine the mechanical properties of the titanium surfaces. The specimens were fabricated on a standard EBM-S12 machine with a layer thickness of 100 microns, cleaned by powder blasting and machined to cuboids with coplanar faces. It was observed that structures exhibited interconnected pores and porosities. Result shows that the SEM technique allow the production of cellular titanium components with changed mechanical properties by varying the relative density.