Metal Additive Manufacturing Conference - MAMC 2023

Ti-6Al-4V alloys are extensively used as a substitution for human bones as they are biocompatible, lightweight, corrosive resistant, and have low elastic modulus. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is the best suitable process for realizing complex biomedical implants of Ti-6Al-4V alloys. However, some implants require a mirror-like polished surface typically obtained through a post-processing technique. Therefore, this work proposed a novel post-processing method to improve the surface quality of additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V alloys. Hybrid Electrochemical Assisted Magnetorheological (H-ECMR) utilizes the synergic action of mechanical abrasion and electrochemical reaction to enhance the surface quality of the parts without affecting their surface topography. However, the H-ECMR finishing process effectively applies to parts with initial surface roughness (Ra) in the sub-micron range. Hence, chemical etching is used as an intermediated process after fabricating the Ti-6Al-4V femoral head by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) to reduce the surface roughness in the sub-micron range. Moreover, a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), and optical profilometer are used to examine the change in the surface quality before and after post-processing of the LPBF fabricated femoral head.