Distance-controlled direct ink writing of titanium alloy with enhanced shape diversity and controllable porosity
Porous titanium alloys have been extensively used for diverse engineering applications. However, current additive manufacturing (AM) strategies face significant challenges (e.g., low fabrication efficiency and limited shape diversity) in producing porous titanium alloys. This work aims to develop a distance-controlled direct ink writing (DC-DIW) approach for constructing macroscale 3D architectures from titanium alloy powders. This approach integrates a constant interlayer distance control with traditional DIW, breaking through the angle limit in current porous metal printing from 60° to 30°. Additionally, subsequent heat treatment is applied to control microstructures. To demonstrate the capabilities of this approach, three representative structures, including a bifurcated tube, an orbital implant, and a knee implant, are successfully printed and treated, achieving suitable mechanical properties and high shape fidelity. This work provides a viable and efficient AM strategy for fabricating porous titanium alloys with enhanced shape diversity and controllable porosity suitable for various engineering applications.
Authors
- Erick R. Bandala (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9553-1581)
- Amanendra K. Kushwaha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4442-4211)
- Lily Raymond
- Fazlay Rubbi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2684-0628)
- Kellen Mitchell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3035-2432)
- Ji Su (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2258-162X)
- Mohammadreza Elahifard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3077-5600)
- Pengbo Chu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2111-2602)
- Pradeep L. Menezes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8030-8504)
- John Samuel Thella (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9953-7745)
- Yiliang Liao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7122-3920)
- Yifei Jin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4336-1802)
- Bankole Osho
- Xiaoliang Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0883-7716)
- Xing Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7388-819X)
Institutions
- Langley Research Center (US)
- University of Nevada, Reno (US)
- Iowa State University (US)
- Soochow University (CN)
- Desert Research Institute (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Advanced Manufacturing
- Published
- 2025-02-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s44334-025-00016-1
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 4.10
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Nevada Space Grant Consortium
- Nuclear Safety and Security Commission
- Division of Chemistry