Application fields and development of titanium alloy 3D printing

Titanium is one of the most commonly used metals in additive manufacturing and is used in aerospace, joint replacement and surgical tools, racing and bicycle frames, electronics and other high-performance products. Titanium and titanium-based alloys are valued by various industries for their high mechanical strength, high strength-to-weight ratio, and better corrosion resistance than stainless steel. The use of this material can make rockets and aircraft lighter, thereby saving fuel and increasing payload. ability. It could also be used to make lighter-weight electronics such as smartphones and VR goggles, as well as in medical implants. Moreover, when the inherent properties of titanium are combined with the unique capabilities of 3D printing, the advantages will be even more obvious. So, what are the specific uses of 3D printed titanium? What are the common titanium printers on the market?

△3D printed titanium parts

Hip joints from GE Additive, fan blades from Sciaky, rocket tips from Arcam Darker, titanium lattice components from 3D Systems, titanium stents from EOS, surgical spinal implants from Zenith Tecnica

3D printing allows for more efficient manufacturing of titanium while reducing raw material waste. As an additive technology, metal 3D printing typically uses only the materials needed to build the part, along with a relatively small amount of support structural material. 3D printing also enables complex designs, such as internal channels and hollow or lattice-filled parts to reduce weight, that are not possible with any other manufacturing method. Because there are no molds or tooling, titanium 3D printing can cost-effectively create one-of-a-kind parts such as patient-specific implants, prototypes, and research tools. There are countless examples of 3D printing titanium to advance manufacturing, healthcare, space exploration and more.

 3D printing titanium alloy uses

△In 2023, Panerai released the Submersible S Brabus PAM01283 equipped with a 3D printed titanium case. The picture on the right shows that Holthinrichs Deconstructed launched the first 3D printed titanium watch.

Titanium 3D printing is already widely used to produce products as diverse as medical devices, performance bicycles, luxury watches and consumer electronics, with the hope of delivering lightweight yet strong products through innovative, often custom designs.

● Precision products and electronic products

3D printing can produce very thin-walled, complex titanium parts, which are often used to make watch cases, such as the Panerai and Holthinrichs watches shown above. It is said that titanium alloy watch cases will also be an upcoming part of the Apple Watch Ultra.

△3D printed titanium alloy hinge shift cover used in the 2023 Honor Magic V2 folding smartphone

In 2023, smartphone maker Honor launched its new foldable Magic V2, which features a 3D-printed titanium hinged shift cover that is lighter and 150% stronger than the previous aluminum version. Honor said that this small titanium piece, which can be 3D printed in tens of thousands, is the key to the product's durability and smooth folding and unfolding.

 ● Medical and dental implants

△American Orthofix Medical’s 3D printed titanium implant Construx Mimi Ti Spacer System was approved by the US FDA in 2021

In the medical industry, 3D printed titanium implants have been successful in spine, hip, knee, and extremity applications due to the metal’s inherent biocompatibility and good mechanical properties, coupled with the ability to 3D print custom porous structures ( thereby enabling osseointegration) and mass customization for better patient outcomes. 3D printed titanium implants are gaining regulatory approval and demand. Since most medical implants are made to cover a large number of people with the same condition, they are not suitable for everyone. People with rare diseases often excluded. Now, with 3D printing, it is possible to produce implants specifically designed for individual patients.

In 2023, a surgeon in the UK performed four wrist surgeries on the same day, using patient-specific 3D-printed titanium plates to correct previously fractured wrist deformities. Dr Akshay Malhotra, consultant orthopedic surgeon and clinical lead for hands and wrists, said: “Once this planning process is complete, bespoke plates are printed using titanium powder, then tested, shipped to the UK and sterilized at the County Hospital in preparation for surgery. "

△CoreLink’s 3D printed titanium screws feature a porous structure that promotes bone growth, and the FingerKit Consortium’s new patient-specific titanium finger joints

Doctors at Manipal Hospital in India used 3D printed titanium when they treated a cancer patient whose tumor was destroying his chest in 2022. Generally speaking, implants of this size would be too heavy for the human body to bear, but because titanium is lightweight and highly strong, weighing less than 250 grams, it is ideal for printing implants inside the body. Thanks to the success of the 3D printed implant, the patient fully recovered and was able to return to his normal life without relying on external machines to help him breathe.

△Through titanium 3D printing, Angel Cycle Works was able to significantly reduce the weight and optimize the design of the new Heaven bike

3D printed titanium is common in today’s performance bikes. Titanium is used in cranks, brake levers, stems, derailleur hangers, and even full frames. Titanium is as strong as aluminum and as light as carbon fiber, without the sustainability issues of carbon fiber. Bike manufacturer Carbon Wasp explains why it's ditching aluminum and carbon fiber in favor of using 3D printed titanium to build its latest aftermarket crank arms. Carbon Wasp said: “We came up with all kinds of creative ways to clamp the crank to the gearbox shaft without squeezing the carbon fiber, but there were always some metal inserts required, and gluing the inserts to the carbon fiber would have problems. To the endless questions. After some prototyping, Carbon Wasp found that a 3D printed lattice-filled titanium crank is just as light as carbon but stronger in very impact-prone areas. We still think carbon fiber is the best for many other uses. materials, including the frame, but we are already working on other titanium parts.”

Speaking of full frames, bike manufacturer Angel Cycle Works says it 3D printed an all-titanium frame in one lightweight component, which shaves crucial seconds off race times and enables new design geometries . Its new superbike, called Heaven, is 400 grams lighter than the previous version. Another all-titanium alloy frame launched by Pilot this year is called Pilot Seiren. The road bike’s frame is entirely 3D printed from titanium (divided into three parts). The company says 3D printing titanium allows it to customize the bike to the rider’s preference, and the frame doesn’t require any paint or coating.

△Bicycle company Mythos offers customers a range of 3D printed titanium parts, including these handlebars, while Verve Cycling (right) offers new 3D printed titanium cranks.

△GKN Aerospace plans to add a new large-scale titanium 3D printer to its Texas factory

△Since NASA only needs one, 3D printing titanium components for the lunar deployable arm makes more sense than traditional manufacturing.

 ● Manufacturing

Semiconductor manufacturer ASML is now 3D printing rather than forging titanium carrier tray preforms (used in wafer production), saving 64% in raw materials and delivering them faster. Norsk Titanium, a metal additive manufacturing company using a directed energy deposition (DED) platform, is printing 80 kilograms (approximately 176 pounds) of near-net shape preforms with Ti64 for use in semiconductor wafer production.

△3D printed titanium alloy wheel hub bracket manufactured by the University of Washington

△Titanium powder

Several companies, including Virtual Foundry, offer titanium wire for extruder-based fused deposition modeling (FDM). The material contains metal powder embedded in PLA and can be printed using FDM printers at extruder temperatures above 205 °C. After post-processing and sintering, these filaments can produce metal parts with a metal content of over 90%, making them suitable for prototyping.

△University metal 3D printing laboratory, Washington Joint Center for Earth Abundant Materials Deployment and Research, makes parts from titanium

In short, the future development of 3D printed titanium is full of hope and will play a greater role in many fields. Through continuous technological innovation and application expansion, 3D printed titanium will bring more convenient, efficient and high-quality metal parts to society.