Toward Manufacturing Quality Ti-6Al-4V Lattice Struts by Selective Electron Beam Melting (SEBM) for Lattice Design

Intricate metal lattice structures enabled by additive manufacturing (AM) are finding increasing applications. We report a detailed study of the manufacturability of Ti-6Al-4V lattice struts by selective electron beam manufacturing (SEBM). A total of 165 strut samples with design diameters of 0.05-3.0 mm are manufactured at 11 different inclination angles from 0° to 90°. The discrepancies between the design and manufactured diameters and the surface roughness and 3D internal defect features of the strut samples are characterized in detail and discussed. Essential research data are produced for the design and manufacture of quality Ti-6Al-4V struts for lattice design by SEBM.