ABSTRACT
The influence of various parameters on the characteristic properties of as-built Ti6Al4V alloy parts fabricated by the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process and different types of post-treatments employed to improve the performance of the parts are addressed in this chapter. It is obvious that the as-built Ti6Al4V alloy parts should be subjected to post-heat treatment and surface finishing post-treatment to decrease the surface roughness, to reduce the tensile residual stress, to induce compressive residual stress and to increase the ductility without much compromising the strength. It is imperative to understand how each process parameter could influence the characteristic properties of the as-built part, how to avoid the occurrence of defects using appropriate choice of processing conditions and how to effectively use post-heat treatment and surface finishing post-treatment to impart the desired characteristics in the fabricated parts. Much remains to be explored in the LPBF process in terms of achieving a better density, lower surface roughness, bimodal microstructure, low tensile residual stress and a good combination of strength and ductility.
