Laser powder bed fusion of Zr-based bulk metallic glass using flake-shaped crystalline powder: Printability, microstructure, and performance

This study investigates the use of flake-shaped crystalline powder of Zr₃₅Ti₃₀Be₂₇.₅Cu₇.₅ alloy for producing bulk amorphous materials via laser powder bed fusion. Following successful results obtained with spherical powder, this research explores flake-shaped powder as a more cost-effective alternative for feedstock preparation. We performed a comprehensive optimization of the printing parameters and successfully produced X-ray amorphous structure containing crystalline inclusions smaller than 1 µm. The selected parameters yielded high compressive strength. Specifically, samples printed at a laser power of 60 W and a scanning speed of 900 mm/s achieved a compressive strength of 1612 ± 90 MPa, which is comparable to samples made from spherical powder. Consequently, the 60 W - 900 mm/s parameters were identified as a universal processing window, capable of producing consolidated samples from both spherical and flake-shaped powders. This study demonstrates that flake-shaped powder is a promising and beneficial feedstock material for the additive manufacturing of high-strength bulk amorphous components.