Influence of Processing Parameters on Laser-Assisted Reactive Sintering of a Mixture of Ni and Ti Powders

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) plays a crucial role in the development of NiTi alloys, enabling the creation of complex and customized structures while optimizing properties for various biomedical and industrial applications. The aim of this paper was to investigate the influence of laser scanning speed on laser-assisted reactive sintering of a mixture of No and Ti powders. The samples were sintered at two different beam speeds, 4 and 5 4 mm/s and their morphological and microstructural characteristics were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses revealed the presence of intermetallic compounds rich in Ni and Ti for both scanning speeds; however, the scanning speed of 5 mm/s produced a microstructure with greater porosity, leading to a sintered body with poorer consolidation. Thus, employing a slower beam scanning of 4 mm/s seems to be a better alternative in the laser-assisted reactive sintering of NiTi alloys.

Keywords

• laser-assisted sintering
• powder metallurgy
• NiTi
• intermetallic compounds