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Make the most of metal 3D printing with our Titanium 6AI-4V and create lightweight parts with great mechanical properties. Here are all information, tricks, know-how, and advice to help you print your 3D model in our Titanium 6AI-4V metal material.
3D objects printed using Sculpteo’s Titanium 6AI-4V are created from a fine metal powder composed mainly of Titanium (88-90%), Aluminum (5.50-6.5%) and Vanadium (3.50-4.50%).
This is grade 5, 6Al-4V Titanium. Titanium-based alloys are very hard and highly resistant to oxidation and acid. The melting point is extremely high (1660° C or 3260° F). It also has a very low toxicity, which means it can be used in many ways.
3D printing with titanium is very precise thanks to the resolution of the laser and the thinness of each layer of powder (30 to 40 µm). With a density of 4.41g/cm3 the material is lightweight but has excellent mechanical characteristics.
The printed parts have a matte and slightly rough surface. It is possible to get smooth and shiny surfaces after printing by using finishing steps. Compared to the other 3D printing materials, titanium has an average surface roughness.
What can you do with Titanium AI-4V?
Additive manufacturing of titanium parts is often most successful in projects where 3D printing is fully justified because it is the best production method, compared to other manufacturing techniques (casting, machining, cutting). We note that 3D printing is often advantageous for:
To successfully manufacture your part, it is often necessary to modify the original design. At the risk of repeating ourselves, we prefer to warn you: if you want to create a part in titanium out of curiosity or for fun, you risk being disillusioned when you realize how much effort is involved in achieving it!
Our 3D printed titanium is perfect for precision parts, requiring very thin walls. The grade 5 6Al-4V titanium is suitable for prototypes and functional parts in the aerospace and automotive fields and for military applications (see datasheet). It is also an excellent material for the manufacture of parts with complex geometry or production tooling and injection molding.
Pricing and delivery
The printing price of your design is calculated automatically the moment it is uploaded. As you modify your object (changing material, finishing, size, using batch control or hollowing feature, etc.) you will note that the price changes automatically. The pricing is based on a series of factors, including total volume, object size, and bounding box – to name a few.
Keep in mind that adding finishing will extend the processing time. The estimated shipping time is also calculated automatically as the object is uploaded and each time you make a modification on it. Delivery time should be added to processing time.
What is the 3D printing process for our Titanium AI-4V?
3D printing of titanium is carried out by laser fusion; there are currently two technologies: DMLS and SLM. At Sculpteo, we use DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) on EOS M280 and M290 machines to print titanium. In these two techniques, the laser beam locally brings the metal powder to its melting point, to create your object layer after layer.
As titanium is fused at more than 1600° C, metal additive manufacturing requires great technical expertise for the pre-study of the thermal and mechanical effects before the 3D print, and excellent knowledge of the finishing techniques for the completion of the object.
The walls of your design must adhere to a minimum thickness of 2 mm in order to guarantee the structure will not break. If the walls of your model are less 2 mm, we recommend you to thicken them or add a support structure to maintain stability.
To ensure the solidity of an object, a minimum thickness of 2 mm is recommended.
It is also important to keep in mind that the object is to be printed in a physical form. Thus if a thin aspect is supporting something that is too heavy for it, it may break- even though it is possible with the physics provided within the 3D printing program. We recommend adding a bit of thickness to the places that will get a lot of handling, or that support the most weight.
Do not forget
Keep in mind that our solidity check tool does not detect physical aberrations such as floating parts, unstable position, parts supporting too much weight relative to their thickness, etc. Particular care must be given to the geometry of your design and the most stressed parts must be thickened.
Minimum size of details
1 mm
Minimum height and width details
Embossed: 0.5 mm Engraved: 0.5 mm
Minimum height and width for a readable text
1 mm
Enlargement ratio
1/1
A detail’s minimum precision is mainly determined by the resolution of our printers. However, during the cleaning process, a fine layer of detail can also be lost. In order for a detail or a text to be visible, we highly suggest you follow our recommended sizes at the very least. To ensure a better powder removal (thus a better detail precision), the width of your details must be at least as big as depth.
Enclosed parts?
Not recommended
Interlocking parts?
Not recommended
Minimum spacing between fixed walls
0.2 mm
Minimum clearance between parts
0.2 mm
For a successful 3D print a minimum clearance between objects is required to allow excess material to be sand blown out. If this space is not left within the design, the object will be a solid. This is particularly important for articulated objects – as the space left between the walls will define the object’s ability to move.
Clearance should be at least 0.2 mm and depends on the size of your object. For big sizes, the clearance should be greater. The heated zone of your object depends on the size, the larger the object the more time it will be exposed to high temperature: if the space left between the walls is too small, it will be weld because of heat spreading. In some cases, holes should be added to allow us to drain for the excess powder material within the clearance.
Do not forget
Clearance should be at least 0.2 mm, however that is the minimum for small objects. Larger objects require more space between their parts. This is due to the DMLS printing process. Our printer beds are heated during the process, and larger objects are heated for longer periods. A small space between marge objects runs the risk of melting together as it remains under heat for a long period of time. In some other cases, holes should be added to allow us to drain for the excess powder material within the clearance.
Assembly?
No
Hollowing?
No
Files with Multiple Objects ?
No
This is not possible to 3D print a 3D file containing several objects with Titanium.
It is not possible to print a 3D file containing several objects, that’s why we cannot accept files that contain clusters of multiple objects. Though, if you wish to purchase more than one identical parts, you can select the number of parts you want to order during the checkout. The more parts you order, the lower your price per part gets.
You can also use our online tools and see our tricks and tips on how to reduce your 3D printing price.
With Sculpteo’s online 3D printing service you’re just a few clicks away from professional Titanium 6AI-4V 3D printing. Your 3D model is printed with the highest quality and delivered straight to your door.
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