Laser Peening A Viable Way To Make 3D Printed Ti6Al4V Implants Make Wear Resistant

A group of researchers from Jiangsu University tested Laser Peening (LP), a laser surface modification technology, to increase the wear resistance of most common titanium alloy for implants, the Ti6Al4V alloy. Cut samples of alloy of 40 x 20 x 4 mm rectangular shapes, with 4 mm thickness were treated with Laser Peening and then tested for surface roughness and micro-hardness at Nanjing University of Aerospace and Astronautics in China. The promising results concluded 25.7% increased wear resistance in LP-Treated Ti6Al4V samples compared too untreated ones.

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0030399217319230