Laser-beam powder bed fusion of cost-effective non-spherical hydride-dehydride Ti-6Al-4V alloy

Hydride-dehydride (HDH) Ti-6Al-4V powders with non-spherical particle morphology are typically not used in laser-beam powder bed fusion (LB-PBF). Here, HDH powders with two size distributions of 50–120 µm (fine) and 75–175 µm (coarse) are compared for flowability, packing density, and resultant density of the LB-PBF manufactured parts. It is shown that a suitable laser power-velocity-hatch spacing combination can result in part production with a relative density of > 99.5% in LB-PBF of HDH Ti-6Al-4V powder. Size, morphology, and spatial distribution of pores are analyzed in 2D. The boundaries of the lack-of-fusion and keyhole porosity formation regimes are assessed and results showed parts with a relative density of > 99.5% could be LPBF processed at a build rate of 1.5–2 times of the nominal production rates in LPBF machines. The synchrotron x-ray high-speed imaging reveals the laser-powder interaction and potential porosity formation mechanism associated with HDH powder. It is found that lower powder packing density of coarse powder and high keyhole fluctuation result in higher fractions of porosity within builds during the LB-PBF process.