The National Robot Innovation Center has made progress in the research of metal additive manufacturing technology.

According to the National Robot Innovation Center, laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is currently the core technology for the additive manufacturing of titanium alloy precision components, widely used in critical fields such as aerospace, high-end equipment, and precision manufacturing. However, the Ti-6Al-4V alloy produced by traditional LPBF processes typically exhibits a fully acicular martensite microstructure, leading to a significant reduction in ductility. The industry commonly employs subsequent heat treatment to improve material formability, but these methods still face challenges such as the strength-ductility trade-off, process redundancy, and low manufacturing efficiency. To address this issue, the center's research and development team recently proposed a novel process strategy that involves in-situ interlayer laser remelting during the powder bed fusion process. This technology leverages the unique rapid thermal cycling characteristics of the laser process to regulate the microstructure of the produced Ti-6Al-4V alloy, eliminating the need for additional post-processing heat treatments, thereby enhancing the ductility and manufacturing efficiency of the alloy while maintaining high strength.