Blog

What innovations are there in the production technology of tantalum-titanium alloys?

The production technology of tantalum-titanium alloys has achieved significant innovation in many aspects in recent years, mainly in the fields of additive manufacturing and micro-machining technology.

Additive manufacturing technology
Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Selective Electron Beam Melting (EBM): These two additive manufacturing technologies are widely used in the production of tantalum-titanium alloys. Research shows that SLM technology can effectively prepare porous tantalum-titanium alloy samples, and the dimensional accuracy and mechanical properties of its porous structure are very sensitive to laser power. EBM is suitable for manufacturing tantalum-titanium alloy parts with excellent microstructure, especially in terms of high strength-to-modulus ratio.

Checkerboard laser scanning mode: In order to reduce thermal stress, researchers developed a checkerboard laser scanning mode to successfully create a 3D shape of tantalum-titanium alloy by alternating molten metal. This method significantly improved the material's stress absorption capacity.

Micromachining technology
Powder injection micro-molding technology: This technology mixes titanium and tantalum powder with a binder, and then undergoes degreasing and sintering steps to obtain the desired product after molding. This method enables high yields and uniform composition, making it ideal for high-volume production.

Electrolytic micromachining technology: Based on the principle of electrochemical dissolution, this technology can achieve nanometer-level processing accuracy and is suitable for tantalum-titanium alloy parts with complex shapes. There is no internal stress during the processing and the surface roughness is good.

Composite processing technology: Due to the difficult-to-process characteristics of tantalum-titanium alloys, researchers have begun to explore methods of combining different processing principles. For example, through the laser-induced oxidation milling process, a loose oxide layer can be formed under controlled laser and oxygen delivery, and then the material can be removed through micro-milling, thereby improving the processing effect.

Other innovative methods
Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) process: This emerging process is expected to reduce the manufacturing cost of titanium alloys and increase its application potential in industries such as automobiles. The HIP process processes materials under high temperature and high pressure to make them denser and have better performance.

These innovative technologies not only improve the production efficiency and quality of tantalum-titanium alloys, but also expand their application prospects in medical, aerospace and other fields.