Manufacturing Technology 2025, 25(6):735-741 | DOI: 10.21062/mft.2025.083

Characterization of microstructure and defects in the Ti-6Al-4V alloy produced by 3D printing SLM technology

Kateřina Caldová ORCID...1, Andrea Školáková ORCID...1,2, Jan Pinc ORCID...1,2, Dalibor Vojtěch ORCID...1
1 Department of Metals and Corrosion Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic
2 FZU – The Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 1999/2, Prague 8, 182 21, Czech Republic

The Ti-6Al-4V alloy is widely used as a material for medical implants. In the future, it may be employed for 3D printing using the selective laser melting method. The advantages of 3D printing are for example production of complex shapes or ability to create customized implants. One of the disadvantages of this method is the deterioration of mechanical properties, particularly the ductility of the alloy, caused by high residual stress resulting from rapid cooling during printing. This article aims to characterize the microstructure and defects of the printed alloy and the impact of hot isostatic pressing. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and micro-computed tomography were utilized for the study. It was found that the heat treatment has a significant effect on the pore size and microstructural transformation. These findings could lead to the optimization of the manufacturing process and improve the quality of implants made from this alloy.

Keywords: Selective laser melting (SLM), Ti-6Al-4V alloy, Defects, Pores, Hot isostatic pressing (HIP)
Grants and funding:

CzechNanoLab project LM2023051 funded by MEYS CR is gratefully acknowledged for the financial support of the measurements/sample fabrication at LNSM Research Infrastructure. The authors would like to thank the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic (Project No. NW25-08-00044) and specific university research (A1_FCHT_2025_011) for financial support

Received: August 5, 2025; Revised: December 11, 2025; Accepted: December 15, 2025; Prepublished online: December 18, 2025; Published: December 23, 2025  Show citation

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Caldová K, Školáková A, Pinc J, Vojtěch D. Characterization of microstructure and defects in the Ti-6Al-4V alloy produced by 3D printing SLM technology. Manufacturing Technology. 2025;25(6):735-741. doi: 10.21062/mft.2025.083.
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