Investigation on LPBF Processability of an In-situ A6061 Matrix Composite

The interest in laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) has grown in the last decades because of the possibility to obtain near-net shapes parts with high performance. However, the main issue in this process is the limited availability of materials. For instance, A6061 alloy has a wide application range but it is hardly processable by L-PBF because of a severe solidification cracking. This critical issue can be overcome through the introduction of nucleants in the system, which induce an equiaxed solidification and avoid the solidification cracks. A6061 RAM2 is a mixture of A6061, Ti and B4C particles capable to react with each other to synthetise TiC and TiB2, grain refiners for Al alloys. A parameters optimization to produce dense samples was performed. Microstructural characterization of these specimens was carried out to investigate the evolution of the system in the processed material. Then, preliminary evaluation of mechanical properties was performed.