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Updated: Jun 21, 2026
Fabrication of Mechanically Tunable and Bioactive Metal Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications
Published on: December 8, 2015
Microstructure and mechanical behavior of Ti-6Al-4V produced by rapid-layer manufacturing, for biomedical
L E Murr1, S A Quinones, S M Gaytan
1Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA. lemurr@utep.edu
Abstract:
The microstructure and mechanical behavior of simple product geometries produced by layered manufacturing using the electron beam melting (EBM) process and the selective laser melting (SLM) process are compared with those characteristic of conventional wrought and cast products of Ti-6Al-4V. Microstructures are characterized utilizing optical metallography (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and included alpha (hcp), beta (bcc) and alpha(') (hcp) martensite phase regimes which give rise to hardness variations ranging from HRC 37 to 57 and tensile strengths ranging from 0.9 to 1.45 GPa. The advantages and disadvantages of layered manufacturing utilizing initial powders in custom building of biomedical components by EBM and SLM in contrast to conventional manufacturing from Ti-6Al-4V wrought bar stock are discussed.