Research Progress in Additive Manufacturing Processes of Titanium Alloys

Characterized by high specific strength, excellent corrosion resistance, and good biocompatibility, titanium alloys have been widely used in aerospace, shipbuilding, and biomedical fields. Additive manufacturing technology is capable of forming complex structures and shapes. When combined with titanium alloys, the additive manufacturing technology can show great application potential. However, the complex thermal history in the additive manufacturing process leads to issues such as anisotropy in mechanical properties, insufficient plasticity and toughness, and strength reduction due to pore defects. In this paper, the research progresses of selective laser melting (SLM), laser engineered net shaping (LENS), wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), and electron beam additive manufacturing (EBAM) are reviewed, the common issues across these processes analyzed, and the future development directions for titanium alloy additive manufacturing put up.