Effect of Spark Assisted Polishing on the Wear Resistance of Additive Manufactured Metallic Components
摘要
Additive manufacturing (AM) has gained significant traction due to its ability to produce intricate components that are difficult to produce using conventional methods. Ti6Al4V alloy has widespread applications in aerospace and biomedical industries due to its high strength, low density, and biocompatibility. However, components printed using Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) have poor surface integrity, restricting their direct implementation into the respective applications. Spark assisted polishing (SAP) is a low energy discharge technique that can be used to polish the surface of any metallic component by passing the wire electrode along the surface. SAP can be employed to remove surface irregularities, improve the surface hardness, and increase the wear resistance of the LPBF printed component. In this study, the effect of Pulse On time (TON) was investigated on surface roughness, hardness, and wear resistance. The EDS analysis indicated any changes in chemical composition due to migration of materials from wire electrode to the printed specimens. Hardness Tester and Tribometer were used to quantify the surface hardness and wear resistance, respectively. Images of the specimen surfaces were obtained for qualitative analysis. In this investigation, the exceptional performance of SAP has highlighted its potential for polishing metallic AM components.