| Abstract Scope |
Ti-6Al-4V (Ti64) is widely used in aerospace and biomedical applications due to its high specific strength, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility. Additive manufacturing (AM) is particularly attractive for Ti64 fabrication because it enables the production of complex geometries, lightweight structures, and customised implants while reducing material waste associated with subtractive processing. However, conventional AM processes are powder-based, imposing limitations related to cost, safety, and stringent environmental control. This work explores the fabrication of Ti alloys via a new sheet-based AM approach, Laser Pulse Integration of Sheets (LAPIS). LAPIS replaces powder feedstock with metal sheets and enables the exploration of Ti alloy AM processing under both ambient and controlled atmospheres.
The role of processing atmosphere is investigated by comparing builds produced under ambient and argon conditions, including the effect of oxygen and defect formation. The feasibility of varying the processing atmosphere during printing to introduce spatially controlled microstructural heterogeneity is explored. |