A short review on thermal treatments of Titanium & Nickel based alloys processed by selective laser melting

Selective laser melting (SLM) has been considered as a well-researched technology used to produce near net shape metallic components with superior mechanical and physiochemical characteristics. Recently SLM has recently been used for the production of components made by high-performance alloys such as Titanium and Nickel. However, the microstructural and physical anisotropy along with the defects have negative impact on the performance and behavior of SLM-produced alloys. Therefore, to improve the material characteristics, extra attention must be paid to the source(s), identification, and removal of these deviations. Thermal heat treatments are often considered as an effective approach to deal with aforementioned issues. stress-relieving, quenching/hardening, annealing/recrystallization, and thermo-mechanical heat treatments are among prominent procedures adopted for the post processing of SLM fabricated metallic components and hence considered in this article. Since these procedures have substantial impact on the microstructure and mechanical behavior therefore an assessment of their influence and resulting changes is significantly important. Therefore, this short review provides the said knowledge on thermal treatments used to improve the SLM fabricated titanium and nickel-based alloys. This review can significantly help in designing and selecting appropriate post processing thermal treatments keeping in mind the expected outcome.