Binder jet 3D printing (BJ3DP) is an additive manufacturing technology that selectively deposits binder on powder to form a three-dimensional green body followed by sintering process. The low strength of green body and metallurgical issues limit the manufacture of Ti6Al4V parts with high-performance and that are lightweight. In this study, thermal-bubble inkjet technology was used to print Ti6Al4V parts via jetting low-concentration in-situ polymer binders. In addition, a method for mixing fine powder was used to enhance the capillary force of the powder bed and mechanical properties of the parts. The results show that the capillary force was enhanced from 8.35 kPa for pure powder to 16.27 kPa for mixed powder by mixing fine powder. The compression strength of green body was enhanced from 1.5 MPa to 3.21 MPa. After sintering, the sample with mixed powder sintered at 1420 °C for 2 h had achieved a maximum density of 95.2%, microhardness of 316 HV, and yield stress of 589 MPa. The relative density of 95.2% of Ti6Al4V parts fabricated by BJ3DP technology in our study is significantly higher than the value reported in the existing literature. Finally, the porous structure with a size of 550 μm was fabricated. Results presented demonstrate that BJ3DP can produce Ti6Al4V parts with excellent properties.
In-situ deposition of three-dimensional graphene on selective laser melted copper scaffolds for high performance applications
