Researchers 3D-print meter-long single crystals of titanium
A wire-and-arc printing method grows one crystal layer by layer, and resists high heat better than conventional samples.
Scientists printed very long metal pieces made of one single crystal. This kind of metal handles high heat better than normal metal. It is still in the lab and will not reach shops soon.
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Why it matters
Materials with no grain boundaries that stand up to heat, useful one day for reactor parts and laser mirrors.
Watch: a nice idea, but not in a product soon.
The details
- A team from China led by Changmeng Liu published the results in Nature.
- They printed titanium rods over 1 metre tall, each a single crystal, with specimens up to 2 cm across.
- The method, DSP-WAAM, uses short high-power pulses followed by longer low-power periods, so each new layer corrects misoriented grains.
- At about 600-700°C the printed titanium resisted creep far better than conventional samples.
- This is laboratory research, and the commercial advantages still need to be verified.
Receipts
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