Bright Laser Technologies produces Ti₂AlNb powder in series

Bright Laser Technologies (BLT) has reached an important milestone in additive manufacturing: the successful series production of high-quality BLT Ti₂AlNb powder. This material offers promising solutions for industries such as aerospace that require lightweight and high-temperature resistant structural materials.

Ti₂AlNb is characterized by a high strength-to-weight ratio, excellent high-temperature properties and outstanding resistance to oxidation and corrosion. These properties make it ideal for applications in the aerospace and automotive sectors. However, traditional manufacturing processes for Ti₂AlNb parts reach their limits due to the alloy’s poor room temperature plasticity and thermal formability. The rapid development of additive manufacturing technology now offers a new way to overcome these challenges.

The production of high-quality Ti₂AlNb powder is crucial to the success of additive manufacturing. BLT uses advanced inert gas atomization technology to produce this powder and optimized processing methods that significantly reduce the formation of satellite powder. This ensures consistent series production of high-quality BLT Ti₂AlNb powder.

The nominal chemical composition of BLT-Ti₂AlNb powder is Ti-22Al-25Nb, and the product specification is 15-53μm. BLT-Ti₂AlNb alloy shows excellent properties at both room and high temperatures, including low density and high oxidation resistance. It can be used at temperatures from 800℃ to 900℃ for extended periods of time. After heat treatment, parts made from BLT Ti₂AlNb powder achieve impressive mechanical properties, with a tensile strength of 250-270 MPa, a yield strength of 140-160 MPa and an elongation of 38.8%-42.8% at a high temperature of 900℃.

BLT has produced a demonstration sample of a flow channel with BLT Ti₂AlNb material that shows its superior capabilities. This sample represents a typical structure of an actively cooled liquid engine, with dozens of rectangular flow channels in the inner and outer walls of the part. The structure is compact, with the thinnest wall only 1 mm thick, illustrating the capabilities of selective laser melting (SLM) of BLT Ti₂AlNb material.

To achieve optimal results, BLT has carefully optimized process parameters such as scanning speed, laser power, scanning distance and preheating temperature to determine a suitable process window for the production of Ti₂AlNb-based alloy components. These refined parameters are now applicable to all commercially available models of BLT’s equipment and enable the production of dense, crack-free parts of consistent quality.

The development of Ti₂AlNb materials has attracted great interest worldwide. However, there have been few reports of the successful production of Ti₂AlNb parts using additive manufacturing technology. BLT’s success in the mass production of high-quality BLT Ti₂AlNb powder will not only drive research into additive manufacturing processes, microstructures and properties of Ti₂AlNb, but also promote the large-scale application of Ti₂AlNb parts.

This development underlines BLT’s commitment to innovation and quality and positions the company at the forefront of additive manufacturing technology. With the mass production of BLT Ti₂AlNb powder, BLT is poised to drive industrial advancements and meet the evolving needs of its global customers.