Influence of the direct metal laser sintering process on the fatigue behavior of the Ti6Al4V alloy

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) is additive manufacturing (AM) process that can produce near net shape parts from metal powders such as titanium alloys. DMLS is a layer by layer additive manufacturing technique based on high power fiber laser that creates solid layers from loose powder material and joins them in an additive manner. The specific DMLS process conditions lead to a specific and complex microstructure and to mechanical properties that show a degree of directionality. It was found that microstructural characteristics are related to the building process parameters. The aim of this work is to evaluate the fatigue performance of the Ti6Al4V alloy depending on the process parameters, building orientations and post-process heat treatment.