Impact of contour on surface quality, dimensional and geometrical accuracy of Ti48Al2Cr2Nb parts produced with powder bed fusion with electron beam process

Powder bed fusion with electron beam (PBF-EB) is an additive manufacturing technique for processing critical materials such as Ti48Al2Cr2Nb. Most of these applications are focused on industrial components that require mirror-like finishing. Therefore, PBF-EB parts are considered only near net shape. The PBF-EB standard procedure involves melting using contours before the inner area. However, because of the need for machining allowance, using contours appears unnecessary, while it may increase the production time significantly. This work highlights the differences between Ti48Al2Cr2Nb parts produced using the standard procedure of PBF-EB and a counterpart produced with a modified single-stage melting. Surface topography, dimensional and geometrical accuracies and mechanical properties are compared. The results show that the parts produced with a single-stage melting are more accurate in dimensions than those produced using a standard strategy, while the production time is over 8% shorter.