The article is part of Metallurgia Italiana "scientific memories" within the April issue, bringing the following title: "Impact of treatment time on single annealing thermal cycle performed on Ti-6Al-4V Titanium alloy specimens obtained using LPBF technology".
The authors are: E. Ferrari, S. Gaiani, M. Gozzi, M. Lassinantti Gualtieri, F. Mantovani, G. Ponzoni, P. Veronesi.
The new paper is a success of the R&D activity in Vsystem and Veca Group. Moreover it is a way to enrich and strengthen the networking among the Group, its companies and the University and research world, in order to arise the innovation potential within the organization.
Abstract
Additive manufacturing has become a prominent solution for producing intricate components with complex geometries.
Titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V is widely used in additive manufacturing due to its excellent mechanical properties, low
density, and corrosion resistance. However, residual stresses generated during the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF)
process require specific heat treatments. This research aims to determine the optimal temperature-time parameters of
thermal cycles able to reduce residual stresses while achieving desired microstructural conditions. Previous research
investigated the impact of heat treatments at different temperatures, with annealing at 800°C and 835°C for 2 hours
resulting in the best mechanical properties. The samples treated at 800°C exhibited increased ductility due to the
onset transformation of α’ to α + β. The samples treated at 835°C showed a favorable balance between mechanical
properties and plasticity. This study expands on the previous research by comparing different treatment times at
optimal temperatures and investigating their effect on average mechanical properties and their variance. Complete
mechanical and microstructural characterization, including XRD analysis, was conducted on the treated samples.
