Design and additive manufacturing of bionic hybrid structure inspired by cuttlebone to achieve superior mechanical properties and shape memory function

Lightweight porous materials with high load-bearing,damage tolerance and energy absorption(EA)as well as intelligence of shape recovery after material deformation are beneficial and critical for many applications,e.g.aerospace,automobiles,electronics,etc.Cuttlebone produced in the cuttlefish has evolved vertical walls with the optimal corrugation gradient,enabling stress homogenization,significant load bearing,and damage tolerance to protect the organism from high external pressures in the deep sea.This work illustrated that the complex hybrid wave shape in cuttlebone walls,becoming more tortuous from bottom to top,creates a lightweight,load-bearing structure with progressive failure.By mimicking the cuttlebone,a novel bionic hybrid structure(BHS)was proposed,and as a comparison,a regular corrugated structure and a straight wall structure were designed.Three types of designed structures have been successfully manufactured by laser powder bed fusion(LPBF)with NiTi powder.The LPBF-processed BHS exhibited a total porosity of 0.042% and a good dimensional accuracy with a peak deviation of 17.4μm.Microstructural analysis indicated that the LPBF-processed BHS had a strong(001)crystallographic orientation and an average size of 9.85μm.Mechanical analysis revealed the LPBF-processed BHS could withstand over 25000 times its weight without significant deformation and had the highest specific EA value(5.32 J·g^(−1))due to the absence of stress concentration and progressive wall failure during compression.Cyclic compression testing showed that LPBF-processed BHS possessed superior viscoelastic and elasticity energy dissipation capacity.Importantly,the uniform reversible phase transition from martensite to austenite in the walls enables the structure to largely recover its pre-deformation shape when heated(over 99% recovery rate).These design strategies can serve as valuable references for the development of intelligent components that possess high mechanical efficiency and shape memory capabilities.

Digital manufacturing of personalized magnesium implants through binder jet additive manufacturing and automated post machining

While magnesium(Mg)is a promising material for personalized temporary implants,the lack of a digital manufacturing solution for Mg implants impedes its potential progress.This study introduces a hybrid manufacturing process that integrates binder jet additive manufacturing with automated dry post-machining to enable end-to-end digital manufacturing of personalized Mg implants.Spherical cap-shaped Mg implants were additively manufactured through binder jetting.These implants were placed on graphite flakes during sintering as a potential non-reactive support material,allowing unrestricted shrinkage of 15.2%to a relative density of 87%.Microstructural and dimensional analysis revealed consistent interconnected porous microstructures with a shrinkage distortion within±0.2 mm of the original digital drawing.High-speed dry milling of the sintered samples,assessed via an orthogonal cutting test,identified the optimized cutting parameters.A three-step machining process for automated 5-axis machining,along with clamping strategies,referencing,and an adaptive plug-in,were successfully implemented.The automated dry machining on binder-jet printed Mg implants resulted in an average roughness of<1.3μm with no defects.In summary,this work introduces a robust digital manufacturing solution to advance the transformative landscape of Mg implants and scaffolds.©2024 Chongqing University.Publishing services provided by Elsevier B.V.on behalf of KeAi Communications Co.Ltd.

Influence of heat treatments on microstructure and mechanical properties of laser additive manufacturing Ti-5Al-2Sn-2Zr-4Mo-4Cr titanium alloy

The effect of heat treatments on laser additive manufacturing(LAM)Ti-5Al-2Sn-2Zr-4Mo-4Cr titanium alloy(TC17)was studied aiming to optimize its microstructure and mechanical properties.The as-deposited sample exhibits features of a mixed priorβgrain structure consisting of equiaxed and columnar grains,intragranular ultra-fineαlaths and numerous continuous grain boundaryα(αGB).After being pre-annealed inα+βregion(840°C)and standard solution and aging treated,the continuousαGB becomes coarser and the precipitate free zone(PFZ)nearby theαGB transforms into a zone filled with ultra-fine secondaryα(αS)but no primaryα(αP).When pre-annealed in singleβregion(910°C),allαphases transform intoβphase and the alloying elements distribute uniformly near the grain boundary.DiscontinuousαGB and uniform mixture ofαP andαS near grain boundary form after subsequent solution and aging treatment.The two heat treatments can improve the tensile mechanical properties of LAM TC17to satisfy the aviation standard for TC17.

A Multiscale Understanding of the Thermodynamic and Kinetic Mechanisms of Laser Additive Manufacturing

Selective laser melting （SLM） additive manufacturing （AM） technology has become an important option for the precise manufacturing of complex-shaped metallic parts with high performance. The SLM AM process involves complicated physicochemical phenomena, thermodynamic behavior, and phase transformation as a high-energy laser beam melts loose powder particles. This paper provides multiscale modeling and coordinated control for the SLM of metallic materials including an aluminum （Al）-based alloy （AlSi10Mg）, a nickel （Ni）-based super-alloy （Inconel 718）, and ceramic particle-reinforced Al-based and Ni-based composites. The migration and distribution mechanisms of aluminium nitride （AIN） particles in SLM-processed Al- based nanocomposites and the in situ formation of a gradient interface between the reinforcement and the matrix in SLM-processed tungsten carbide （WC）/Inconel 718 composites were studied in the microscale. The laser absorption and melting/densification behaviors of AISilOMg and Inconel 718 alloy powder were dis- closed in the mesoscale. Finally, the stress development during line-by-line localized laser scanning and the parameter-dependent control methods for the deformation of SLM-processed composites were proposed in the macroscale. Multiscale numerical simulation and experimental verification methods are beneficial in monitoring the complicated powder-laser interaction, heat and mass transfer behavior, and microstructural and mechanical properties development during the SLM AM process.

Additive manufacturing of magnesium matrix composites: Comprehensive review of recent progress and research perspectives

The magnesium matrix composites(MMCs) formed by introducing reinforcements to magnesium alloys overcome the limitations of the mechanical properties to a certain extent, presenting unique and excellent properties that any component does not have, such as high specific stiffness and specific strength, good dimensional stability, outstanding shock absorption performance, excellent electromagnetic shielding and hydrogen storage characteristics, etc. As an emerging manufacturing technology, additive manufacturing(AM) is based on the design of threedimensional(3D) data model to obtain 3D objects through layer-by-layer processing, which possesses the advantages of short manufacturing cycle, high material utilization rate, high degree of design freedom, excellent mechanical properties and the ability to fabricate complex structural components. Combining the high stiffness and high strength properties of MMCs and the technical advantages of AM forming complex structural parts with high performance, the prepared AM MMCs have huge potential advantages and broad application prospects in new high-tech industries such as automobile, aerospace, consumer electronics and biomedicine, etc. This paper reviews the research progress in the field of AM MMCs, mainly introduces the main AM technologies, including selective laser melting(SLM), electron beam selective melting(EBSM), laser engineered net shaping(LENS) and wire and arc additive manufacturing(WAAM). The formation mechanism and control methods of the typical defects including balling effect, porosity, poor fusion, loss of alloy elements and cracks produced during AM are discussed. The main challenges of AM MMCs are proposed from the aspects of composition design and the preparation of powder raw material. The relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties, corrosion performance and biocompatibility of AM MMCs are elaborated in detail. The application potential of AM MMCs in various fields at present and in the future is introduced. Finally, the development direction and urgent problems to be solved in the AM MMCs are prospected.

Recent progress and perspectives in additive manufacturing of magnesium alloys

Magnesium alloys remain critical in the context of light-weighting and advanced devices. The increased utilisation of magnesium(Mg)each year reveals growing demand for its Mg-based alloys. Additive manufacturing(AM) provides the possibility to directly manufacture components in net-shape, providing new possibilities and applications for the use of Mg-alloys, and new prospects in the utilisation of novel physical structures made possible from ‘3D printing’. The review herein seeks to holistically explore the additive manufacturing of Mg-alloys to date, including a synopsis of processes used and properties measured(with a comparison to conventionally prepared Mg-alloys). The challenges and possibilities of AM Mg-alloys are critically elaborated for the field of mechanical metallurgy.

Role of laser scan strategies in defect control,microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of steel matrix composites prepared by laser additive manufacturing

Steel matrix composites(SMCs)reinforced with WC particles were fabricated via selective laser melting(SLM)by employing various laser scan strategies.A detailed relationship between the SLM strategies,defect formation,microstructural evolution,and mechanical properties of SMCs was established.The laser scan strategies can be manipulated to deliberately alter the thermal history of SMC during SLM processing.Particularly,the involved thermal cycling,which encompassed multiple layers,strongly affected the processing quality of SMCs.Sshaped scan sequence combined with interlayer offset and orthogonal stagger mode can effectively eliminate the metallurgical defects and retained austenite within the produced SMCs.However,due to large thermal stress,microcracks that were perpendicular to the building direction formed within the SMCs.By employing the checkerboard filling(CBF)hatching mode,the thermal stress arising during SLM can be significantly reduced,thus preventing the evolution of interlayer microcracks.The compressive properties of fabricated SMCs can be tailored at a high compressive strength(~3031.5 MPa)and fracture strain(~24.8%)by adopting the CBF hatching mode combined with the optimized scan sequence and stagger mode.This study demonstrates great feasibility in tuning the mechanical properties of SLM-fabricated SMCs without varying the set energy input,e.g.,laser power and scanning speed.

Additive manufacturing and foundry innovation

Additive manufacturing is expected to transform and upgrade the traditional foundry industry to realize the integrated manufacturing and rapid and low-cost development of high-performance components with complex shapes.The additive manufacturing technology commonly applied in casting mold preparation(fusible molds,sand molds/cores and ceramic cores)mainly includes selective laser sintering(SLS)and binder injection three-dimensional printing(3DP).In this work,the research status of SLS/3DP-casting processes on material preparation,equipment development,process optimization,simulation and application cases in aerospace,automotive and other fields were elaborated.Finally,the developing trends of the additive manufacturing technology in the future of foundry field are introduced,including multi-material sand molds(metal core included),ceramic core-shell integration and die-casting dies with conformal cooling runners.

Additive manufacturing of promising heterostructure for biomedical applications

As a new generation of materials/structures,heterostructure is characterized by heterogeneous zones with dramatically different mechanical,physical or chemical properties.This endows heterostructure with unique interfaces,robust architectures,and synergistic effects,making it a promising option as advanced biomaterials for the highly variable anatomy and complex functionalities of individual patients.However,the main challenges of developing heterostructure lie in the control of crystal/phase evolution and the distribution/fraction of components and structures.In recent years,additive manufacturing techniques have attracted increasing attention in developing heterostructure due to the unique flexibility in tailored structures and synthetic multimaterials.This review focuses on the additive manufacturing of heterostructure for biomedical applications.The structural features and functional mechanisms of heterostructure are summarized.The typical material systems of heterostructure,mainly including metals,polymers,ceramics,and their composites,are presented.And the resulting synergistic effects on multiple properties are also systematically discussed in terms of mechanical,biocompatible,biodegradable,antibacterial,biosensitive and magnetostrictive properties.Next,this work outlines the research progress of additive manufacturing employed in developing heterostructure from the aspects of advantages,processes,properties,and applications.This review also highlights the prospective utilization of heterostructure in biomedical fields,with particular attention to bioscaffolds,vasculatures,biosensors and biodetections.Finally,future research directions and breakthroughs of heterostructure are prospected with focus on their more prospective applications in infection prevention and drug delivery.

Laser additive manufacturing of zinc:formation quality,texture,and cell behavior

Laser powder bed fusion(LPBF)makes it possible for biodegradable zinc(Zn)to be used to produce customized orthopedic implants.In this research,we investigate the impact of laser power and scanning speed on the development of surface quality,relative densification,and texture during LPBF of Zn implants.Increasing laser power was able to decrease melt viscosity and surface tension,which improved the metallurgical bonding between adjacent tracks.Uneven and twisted tracks also became continuous and straight.Scanning speed could controlmolten-pool temperature to restrain grain natural orientation,achieving various crystal orientations and a weakened texture.Importantly,it further avoided the thermal expansion and contraction caused by excessive energy storage and accumulation in the matrix,thus reducing the generation of high-dislocation density.As a result,by selecting a reasonable laser power and scanning speed,the LPBF parts exhibited a flat surface morphology and a high density over 99.5%.Their average hardness,mechanical strength,and elongation reached 50.2 HV,127.8 MPa,and 7.6%,respectively.Additionally,the parts displayed a moderate degradation rate and excellent osteogenic properties.All these results provide a basis for selecting process parameters to optimize the comprehensive properties of LPBF-processed Zn parts for biodegradable applications.

Additive manufacturing of magnesium and its alloys: process-formabilitymicrostructure-performance relationship and underlying mechanism

Magnesium and its alloys,as a promising class of materials,is popular in lightweight application and biomedical implants due to their low density and good biocompatibility.Additive manufacturing(AM)of Mg and its alloys is of growing interest in academia and industry.The domain-by-domain localized forming characteristics of AM leads to unique microstructures and performances of AM-process Mg and its alloys,which are different from those of traditionally manufactured counterparts.However,the intrinsic mechanisms still remain unclear and need to be in-depth explored.Therefore,this work aims to discuss and analyze the possible underlying mechanisms regarding defect appearance and elimination,microstructure formation and evolution,and performance improvement,based on presenting a comprehensive and systematic review on the relationship between process parameters,forming quality,microstructure characteristics and resultant performances.Lastly,some key perspectives requiring focus for further progression are highlighted to promote development of AM-processed Mg and its alloys and accelerate their industrialization.

Additive manufacturing in radiation oncology:a review of clinical practice,emerging trends and research opportunities

The additive manufacturing(AM)process plays an important role in enabling cross-disciplinary research in engineering and personalised medicine.Commercially available clinical tools currently utilised in radiotherapy are typically based on traditional manufacturing processes,often leading to non-conformal geometries,time-consuming manufacturing process and high costs.An emerging application explores the design and development of patient-specific clinical tools using AM to optimise treatment outcomes among cancer patients receiving radiation therapy.In this review,we:•highlight the key advantages of AM in radiotherapy where rapid prototyping allows for patient-specific manufacture•explore common clinical workflows involving radiotherapy tools such as bolus,compensators,anthropomorphic phantoms,immobilisers,and brachytherapy moulds;and•investigate how current AM processes are exploited by researchers to achieve patient tissuelike imaging and dose attenuations.Finally,significant AM research opportunities in this space are highlighted for their future advancements in radiotherapy for diagnostic and clinical research applications.

Study on anisotropy of microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ31 magnesium alloy fabricated by wire arc additive manufacturing

Based on wire arc additive manufacturing(WAAM)technology,AZ31 magnesium alloy in bulk was successfully fabricated,and its microstructure as well as mechanical properties in different planes were observed and analyzed.The AZ31 magnesium alloy has a similar microstructure in the building direction(Z)and travel direction(X),both of which are equiaxed grains.There are heat-affected zones(HAZs)with coarse grains below the fusion line.The second phase is primarily composed of the Mg17Al12 phase,which is evenly distributed in different directions.In addition,the residual stress varies in different directions.There is no significant difference in the hardness of the AZ31 alloy along the Z and X directions,with the average hardness being 68.4 HV and 67.9 HV,respectively.Even though the specimens’ultimate tensile strength along the travel direction is higher in comparison to that along the building direction,their differences in elongation and yield strength are smaller,indicating that the anisotropy of the mechanical properties of the material is small.

Laser Additive Manufacturing of 316L Stainless Steel Thin-wall Ring Parts

The process parameters of laser additive manufacturing have an important influence on the forming quality of the produced items or parts.In the present work,a finite element model for simulating transient heat transfer in such processes has been implemented using the ANSYS software,and the temperature and stress distributions related to 316L stainless steel thin-walled ring parts have been simulated and analyzed.The effect of the laser power,scanning speed,and scanning mode on temperature distribution,molten pool structure,deformation,and stress field has been studied.The simulation results show that the peak temperature,weld pool size,deformation,and residual stress increase with an increase in laser power and a decrease in the scanning speed.The scanning mode has no obvious effect on temperature distribution,deformation,and residual stress.In addition,a forming experiment was carried out.The experimental results show that the samples prepared by laser power P=800 W,V=6 mm/s,and the normal scanning method display good quality,whereas the samples prepared under other parameters have obvious defects.The experimental findings are consistent with the simulation results.

Laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing of NiTi shape memory alloys: a review

NiTi alloys have drawn significant attentions in biomedical and aerospace fields due to their unique shape memory effect(SME),superelasticity(SE),damping characteristics,high corrosion resistance,and good biocompatibility.Because of the unsatisfying processabilities and manufacturing requirements of complex NiTi components,additive manufacturing technology,especially laser powder bed fusion(LPBF),is appropriate for fabricating NiTi products.This paper comprehensively summarizes recent research on the NiTi alloys fabricated by LPBF,including printability,microstructural characteristics,phase transformation behaviors,lattice structures,and applications.Process parameters and microstructural features mainly influence the printability of LPBF-processed NiTi alloys.The phase transformation behaviors between austenite and martensite phases,phase transformation temperatures,and an overview of the influencing factors are summarized in this paper.This paper provides a comprehensive review of the mechanical properties with unique strain-stress responses,which comprise tensile mechanical properties,thermomechanical properties(e.g.critical stress to induce martensitic transformation,thermo-recoverable strain,and SE strain),damping properties and hardness.Moreover,several common structures(e.g.a negative Poisson’s ratio structure and a diamond-like structure)are considered,and the corresponding studies are summarized.It illustrates the various fields of application,including biological scaffolds,shock absorbers,and driving devices.In the end,the paper concludes with the main achievements from the recent studies and puts forward the limitations and development tendencies in the future.

In situ monitoring methods for selective laser melting additive manufacturing process based on images-A review

Selective laser melting(SLM)has been widely used in the fields of aviation,aerospace and die manufacturing due to its ability to produce metal components with arbitrarily complex shapes.However,the instability of SLM process often leads to quality fluctuation of the formed component,which hinders the further development and application of SLM.In situ quality control during SLM process is an effective solution to the quality fluctuation of formed components.However,the basic premise of feedback control during SLM process is the rapid and accurate diagnosis of the quality.Therefore,an in situ monitoring method of SLM process,which provides quality diagnosis information for feedback control,became one of the research hotspots in this field in recent years.In this paper,the research progress of in situ monitoring during SLM process based on images is reviewed.Firstly,the significance of in situ monitoring during SLM process is analyzed.Then,the image information source of SLM process,the image acquisition systems for different detection objects(the molten pool region,the scanned layer and the powder spread layer)and the methods of the image information analysis,detection and recognition are reviewed and analyzed.Through review and analysis,it is found that the existing image analysis and detection methods during SLM process are mainly based on traditional image processing methods combined with traditional machine learning models.Finally,the main development direction of in situ monitoring during SLM process is proposed by combining with the frontier technology of image-based computer vision.

Ultra‐low cost Ti powder for selective laser melting additive manufacturing and superior mechanical properties associated

One of the bottleneck issues for commercial scale-up of Ti additive manufacturing lies in high cost of raw material, i.e. the spherical Ti powder that is often made by gas atomization. In this study, we address this significant issue by way of powder modification & ball milling processing, which shows that it is possible to produce printable Ti powders based on ultra- low cost, originally unprintable hydrogenation-dehydrogenation (HDH) Ti powder. It is also presented that the as-printed Ti using the modified powder exhibits outstanding mechanical properties, showing a combination of excellent fracture strength (~895 MPa) and high ductility (~19.0% elongation).

Medical Additive Manufacturing: From a Frontier Technology to the Research and Development of Products

1.Research and development(R&D)and the challenges of raw materials for medical additive manufacturing Raw materials for medical additive manufacturing have a wide range of commonalities that are also seen in many other fields,making them an important basis in the field of three-dimensional(3D)printing.Problems and challenges related to material types,powder properties,formability,viscoelasticity,and so forth also share common features.For example,many metal materials are used in the field of aviation,while metals,polymers,and inorganic materials are used in the field of biomedicine.The most widely used materials in biomedicine are biocompatible.Various homogeneous and non-homogeneous composites are also available for 3D printing,and impose an additional challenge in additive manufacturing;the use of heterogeneous composites in 3D printing is particularly challenging.

Effect of cyclic heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of laser aided additive manufacturing Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo alloy

Globularαphases can significantly improve the ductility of titanium alloys.Cyclic heat treatment(CHT)has been proved to be an effective way to induce the formation of globularαphases inα+βtitanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V fabricated by laser aided additive manufacturing(LAAM).However,there is no prior research reporting methods for obtaining globularαphases in LAAM-built near-αtitanium alloys.This work investigated the cyclic heat treatment(CHT)procedures suitable for the LAAM-built near-αtitanium alloy Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo(Ti6242)to attain the globularαphases.The results show that 980​℃ is the most suitable upper temperature limit for CHT.However,it is difficult to achieve a high volume fraction of the globularαphases in the LAAM-built Ti6242 alloys through CHT,which is ascribed to the low composition gradient caused by moreα-stabilizing elements and fewerβ-stabilizing elements.The as-built sample demonstrated elongation of 6.3%,which is lower than the AMS 4919J standard(elongation≥10%).After 980​℃ CHT and 980​℃ CHT with solution heat-treatment,the formation of the globularαphases significantly increased the elongation to 13.5%and 12.9%,respectively.Although the mechanical strength is reduced after heat-treatment,the room-temperature tensile properties still exceed the AMS 4919J standard.Fractography examination showed that the as-built sample exhibited a mixed brittle and ductile fracture behavior,while the 980​℃ CHT and 980​℃ CHT with solution heat-treated samples displayed ductile fracture.

Analyzing the Interplay of Sintering Conditions on Microstructure and Hardness in Indirect Additive Manufacturing of 17-4PH Stainless Steel

Indirect additive manufacturing(AM)methods have recently attracted attention from researchers thanks to their great potential for cheap,straightforward,and small-scale production of metallic components.Atomic diffusion additive manufacturing(ADAM),a variant of indirect AM methods,is a layer-wise indirect AM process recently developed based on fused deposition modeling and metal injection molding.However,there is still limited knowledge of the process conditions and material properties fabricated through this process,where sintering plays a crucial role in the final consolidation of parts.Therefore,this research,for the first time,systematically investigates the impact of various sintering conditions on the shrinkage,relative density,microstructure,and hardness of the 17-4PH ADAM samples.For this reason,as-washed samples were sintered under different time-temperature combinations.The sample density was evaluated using Archimedes,computed tomography,and image analysis methods.The outcomes revealed that sintering variables significantly impacted the density of brown 17-4PH Stainless Steel samples.The results indicated more than 99% relative densities,higher than the value reported by Markforged Inc.(~96%).Based on parallel porosities observed in the computed tomography results,it can be suggested that by modifying the infill pattern during printing,it would be possible to increase the final relative density.The microhardness of the sintered samples in this study was higher than that of the standard sample provided by Markforged Inc.Sintering at 1330℃ for 4 h increased the density of the printed sample without compromising its mechanical properties.According to X-ray diffraction analysis,the standard sample provided by Markforged Inc.and“1330℃—4 h”one had similar stable phases,although copper-rich intermetallics were more abundant in the microstructure of reference samples.This study is expected to facilitate the adoption of indirect metal AM methods by different sectors,thanks to the high achievable relative densities reported here.