Titanium is an important structural metal developed in the 1950s. Pure titanium is a silver-white metal with relatively active chemical properties and many excellent properties. Titanium alloy is an alloy composed of titanium and other elements added as a base. Titanium alloy has the characteristics of high strength, good corrosion resistance and high heat resistance. Titanium alloy parts manufactured with 3D printing technology have very high strength, precise dimensions, and their mechanical properties are better than forging processes. Because of its good biocompatibility and excellent mechanical properties, titanium alloys are mainly used in biomedical materials, aerospace, and precision instruments.
1. Application in biomedicine
Titanium alloy has been widely used in the medical field because of its good biocompatibility and corrosion resistance, and has become the material of choice for medical products such as artificial joints, bone trauma, spinal orthopedic internal fixation systems, surgical instruments, and so on. The 3D printed implanted titanium alloy material can be customized according to the different requirements of the individual. For example, the mandible made by 3D printing technology can completely fit the curve of the patient's affected area. Titanium, as the metal material with the best known biological properties, will continue to expand its market demand for 3D printing in the medical field, and its application prospects are broad. In 2011, researchers at the Biomedical Research Institute of Hasselt University in Belgium developed a metal mandible. Using a 3D printer made by LayerWise, an 83-year-old woman installed a custom-made titanium alloy mandible. This is the world's first operation of this type, marking the beginning of clinical application of 3D printed grafts.
2. Application in aerospace
Since the 1950s, titanium alloys have developed rapidly in the aerospace field. This application mainly takes advantage of the excellent mechanical properties, low density and good corrosion resistance of titanium alloys. Titanium alloy is one of the main structural materials of modern aircraft and engines. The parts of the cockpit and air ducts, the brackets of the aircraft landing gear, the wings and other aircraft parts can already be produced by 3D printing. On May 5, 2017, my country's first mainline civil aircraft C919 developed in accordance with the latest international airworthiness standards with completely independent intellectual property rights successfully flew for the first time. The main load-bearing component of the wing-the central flange of the wing, is the research and development result of the team of Professor Huang Weidong of Northwestern Polytechnical University. There are also 23 metal 3D printed parts used on the boarding gates, services, and front and rear cargo doors of the front and middle and rear fuselages.
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