Additive Manufacturing (AM) methods are generally used to produce an early sample or near net-shape elements based on three-dimensional geometrical modules. To date, publications on AM of metal implants have mainly focused on knee and hip replacements or bone scaffolds for tissue engineering. The direct fabrication of metallic implants can be achieved by methods, such as Selective Laser Melting (SLM) or Electron Beam Melting (EBM). This work compares the SLM and EBM methods used in the fabrication of titanium bone implants by analyzing the microstructure, mechanical properties and cytotoxicity. The SLM process was conducted in an environmental chamber using 0.4–0.6 vol % of oxygen to enhance the mechanical properties of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy. SLM processed material had high anisotropy of mechanical properties and superior UTS (1246–1421 MPa) when compared to the EBM (972–976 MPa) and the wrought material (933–942 MPa). The microstructure and phase composition depended on the used fabrication method. The AM methods caused the formation of long epitaxial grains of the prior β phase. The equilibrium phases (α + β) and non-equilibrium α’ martensite was obtained after EBM and SLM, respectively. Although it was found that the heat transfer that occurs during the layer by layer generation of the component caused aluminum content deviations, neither methods generated any cytotoxic effects. Furthermore, in contrast to SLM, the EBM fabricated material met the ASTMF136 standard for surgical implant applications.

This article presents the effect of an Indirect Plasma Nitriding process on the microstructure and properties of Titanium Grade- 2 samples manufactured by Direct Metal Laser Sintering Method (DMLS). It was determined, based on morphological analysis that the physical and chemical phenomena occurring at the surface during nitriding has a decisive effect on surface roughening. Phase and stress analysis shown the nitrided layer produced in a pure nitrogen at 760 °C and containing TiN + TiN_0.30 + Ti₂N is under compressive stress and its characteristic of a high hardness and Young Modulus as compare to Grade 2 titanium samples produced only by DMLS technique (without nitriding). Static tensile stress carried out at room temperature show that the nitrided samples containing TiN + TiN_0.30 + Ti₂N have much lower yield (YS0.2) and tensile strength (UTS) compared to the not nitrided samples. Tests carried out in Ringer’s solution, using impedance and potentiodynamic methods at temperatures elevated to 36.6 ± 0.3 °C to simulate human-’s’ body temperature, show that nitriding increased corrosion resistance of the alloy.

In this paper, a novel method for high temperature fatigue strength assessment of nickel superalloy turbine blades after operation at different times (303 and 473 h) was presented. The studies included destructive testing (fatigue testing at temperature 950 °C under cyclic bending load), non-destructive testing (Fluorescent Penetrant Inspection and Eddy Current method), and finite element modelling. High temperature fatigue tests were performed within load range from 5200 to 6600 N using a special self-designed blade grip attached to the conventional testing machine. The experimental results were compared with the finite element model generated from the ANSYS software. It was found that failure of turbine blades occurred in the area with the highest stress concertation, which was accurately predicted by the finite element (FE) model.