BLT
Bright Laser Technologies (BLT) has released the BLT- Ti₂AlNb powder, a material designed for additive manufacturing and said to be suitable for aerospace and automotive applications.
The company says the BLT- Ti₂AlNb powder will cater for applications that demand high-temperature, lightweight and structural materials.
BLT believes Ti₂AlNb to be one of the most promising high-temperature, lightweight and structural materials due to its high strength-to-weight ratio, excellent high-temperature performance, and superior resistance to oxidation and corrosion.
Its lightweight nature and good creep resistance make it ideal for aerospace and automotive applications, according to the company, and will offer enhanced performance and efficiency.
Though traditional methods of producing Ti₂AlNb parts face challenges due to the alloy's poor room temperature plasticity and thermal deformability, BLT suggests the rapid development of additive manufacturing technology 'offers a new pathway to overcome these challenges.' BLT utilises advanced inert gas atomisation technology to produce this powder, coupled with optimised powder processing techniques that significantly reduce the occurrence of satellite powder. This, BLT says, ensures the consistent mass production of high-quality BLT-Ti₂AlNb powder.
The nominal chemical composition of BLT-Ti₂AlNb powder is Ti-22Al-25Nb, and the product specification is 15-53μm. The BLT-Ti₂AlNb alloy is said to exhibit 'excellent' properties at both room and high temperatures, including low density and high-temperature oxidation resistance. It can sustain extended use at temperatures ranging from 800℃ to 900℃. After heat treatment, parts produced from BLT-Ti₂AlNb powder achieve impressive mechanical properties, with a tensile strength of 250-270 MPa, yield strength of 140-160 MPa, and elongation of 38.8%-42.8% at a high temperature of 900℃.
To prove out the material's capabilities, BLT has produced a demonstration sample of a flow channel using BLT-Ti₂AlNb material. This sample represents a typical structure of an actively cooled liquid engine, featuring dozens of rectangular flow channels designed into the inner and outer walls of the part. The structure is compact, with the thinnest wall being only 1mm thick, showcasing the selective laser melting (SLM) forming capability of BLT-Ti₂AlNb material.
To achieve optimal results, BLT has meticulously optimised process parameters, including scanning speed, laser power, scanning spacing, and preheating temperature, to determine a suitable process window for the preparation of Ti₂AlNb-based alloy components. These refined parameters are now applicable across all models of BLT's commercially available equipment, enabling the production of dense, crack-free parts with consistent quality.
In recent years, the development of Ti₂AlNb materials has garnered significant attention globally. Despite this, there have been few reports on the successful production of Ti₂AlNb parts using additive manufacturing technology, with related research still in its early stages. BLT's achievement in mass-producing high-quality BLT-Ti₂AlNb powder will not only advance research into additive manufacturing processes, microstructures, and properties of Ti₂AlNb but also promote the large-scale engineering application of Ti₂AlNb parts.
