Titanium
Titanium (Ti-6AI-V4, Ti-6-2-4-2 and CP Ti), known for its high strength-to-weight ratio as well as its thermal qualities has made it a great choice for a number of aerospace, automotive, power generation and defence applications. The downside of titanium is its workability, which typically requires advanced casting processes or fabrications designed to work around its strengths.
The additive manufacturing system can now streamline the titanium product design, development and production process by directly printing large-scale components in the material, leaving only finish machining. Going directly from CAD to 3D printed parts allows quicker iteration times, ensuring even short-run titanium parts can be quickly tested and fit. Using this method for production allows for large and complex component designs to be fabricated much faster than conventional methods. The laser-wire additive manufacturing process can produce a nearly finished component ready for only finished machining. This reduces total machining time hogging components from bar stocks and wasted material costs, which opens the door to more efficient and stronger components.
BENEFITS OF 3D PRINTING TITANIUM
Titanium has the added benefit of being the strongest metal that can be readily printed in the same manner as 3D printing any form of plastic. This process allows titanium to be fabricated into any shape or part that is deemed necessary for any application. 3D printing titanium is quickly becoming more and more commonplace to the point where it will someday take the place of machining parts.
Titanium has low thermal connectivity, making it a difficult metal to traditionally machine, making it an ideal candidate for 3D printing. Titanium is a relatively difficult and expensive metal to produce, and machining down tends to waste a great deal of the metal, thus wasting money in the process. However, the same titanium part that is 3D printed would have a minimal amount of wasted material because it is printed through an additive process. Modern CAD software also has the benefit of optimizing the printing of the final component which can lead to lighter-weight parts while retaining the same strength.
Industrial applications for 3D-printed titanium also include constructing custom replacement parts in the process of refurbishing or repairing older equipment. Doing so keeps those components performing as well as originally intended and extends the life of the machine itself. Titanium replacement parts tend to be sturdier than the original steel parts and thus would reduce the cost of upkeep on older equipment that would otherwise be costly or difficult to replace. Utilizing 3D-printed titanium parts can potentially keep older capable systems operational well past their intended life span.
With its lightweight and overall strength, the manufacturing applications are endless when 3D printing with titanium. In the foreseeable future, 3D printing could become the new go-to standard for manufacturing with titanium.
