Development of Tailored Porous Ti6Al4V Materials by Extrusion 3D Printing

Nowadays, metallic bone replacement is in high demand due to different issues, like sicknesses and accidents. Thus, bone implants are fabricated with tailored properties and microstructure for long-term use in the human body. To improve such implants, 3D printing is the most promising technique. Therefore, this work aims to evaluate the fabrication of porous materials by extrusion 3D printing of Ti6Al4V. Cylindrical samples were fabricated from pellets for metal injection molding of Ti6Al4V powders, creating hexagonal channels with three different sizes. The densification kinetics was evaluated by dilatometry tests, which enabled following the densification of the samples during the sintering cycle. Subsequently, the samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray computed tomography to analyze their microstructure. Compression tests evaluated the mechanical strength of sintered samples. It was found that the hexagonal shape during printing is better defined as the channel size increases. The results show similar behavior for each of the channel sizes during sintering; however, greater densification is obtained as the channel size decreases. Additionally, microporosity is obtained at the particle level, which is completely interconnected, ensuring the passage of fluids through the entire sample. On the other hand, as the channel size increases, Young's modulus and yield strength are considerably reduced. The main conclusion is that parts with two scales of porosity can be designed by the 3D printing extrusion process.