New Titanium Alloy Makes 3D Printing Stronger and Cheaper

Engineers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) unveiled a new manufacturing process to create 3D-printed titanium. The revamped design replaces expensive ingredients while enhancing durability and reducing production costs and time. Here’s how this upgraded titanium alloy has the potential to revolutionize several industries, while inspiring innovative new composite designs.

3D-Printed Titanium Alloys

The ability to 3D print titanium alloy is only around a decade old and continues to evolve every year. There are many reasons why scientists continue to turn towards titanium alloys as an ideal 3D printing material. For one, they offer an exceptional strength-to-weight ratio. Additionally, the material is corrosion resistant, adding to its use in medical and other high-tech mission-critical devices.

Recent developments have driven interest in 3D-printed titanium alloys further. The development of repeatable titanium lattice structures has helped make these prints more stable, allowing their use in more applications. Notably, the most common way to print titanium alloys is to use either Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) or Directed Energy Deposition (DED) techniques.

Understanding Ti-6Al-4V: The Industry Standard Alloy

While there are many types of titanium alloys, the most popular and established is Titanium grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V). This titanium alloy provides durability, strength, and low density to prints. Additionally, its versatility enables it to be used in a wide array of applications, including as a key component in advanced aerospace and automotive applications.

Problems with 3D Printing Titanium Alloys

While popular, Titanium Grade 5 isn’t perfect. Its shortcomings include a complicated manufacturing process that is subject to oxidation, resulting in errors in the print. To prevent this, these devices can only operate in an inert gas environment. Each of these requirements adds to the overall cost of 3D printing titanium.

Why Microstructure Control Matters in Titanium Printing

One of the biggest limiting factors with today’s approach to 3D printing titanium is controlling the microstructural transitions that occur during the solidification process. This is known as the columnar to equiaxed transition (CET), and it is a critical component that must be managed to produce high-quality titanium alloy prints.

To date, it has been extremely difficult for researchers to gain precise control over the CET. The data shows that these materials tend to create column-shaped microstructures during the cooling process. Sadly, these structures ruin the integrity of prints, resulting in uneven mechanical properties and reduced durability.

3D Printed Titanium Alloy Study

Thankfully, these problems could become a thing of the past. A team of Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) scientists just figured out how to unlock the full potential of 3D printed titanium alloys.

Their study¹, “Compositional criteria to predict columnar to equiaxed transitions in metal additive manufacturing,” published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, explains how they were able to overcome the creation of column-shaped microstructures using new material mixtures.

Source – RMIT University

Specifically, the team replaced vanadium with a proprietary element ingredient to obtain a high-performance print. The scientist noted that vanadium is expensive and difficult to work with due to several factors. Recognizing the need for accessibility, they decided to replace it with readily available options, ensuring that manufacturers wouldn’t have to search for long to find the materials needed to create high-powered titanium 3D prints in the future.

Solving the Microstructure Challenge

One of the premier goals of the study was to prove that engineers could model and 3D print titanium items with equiaxed microstructures. These designs would offer repeatable and equal mechanical properties, making them ideal for use in precision components.

Key Parameters for Alloy Composition

The engineers broke down the phases of the 3D titanium alloy printing method as a way to gain a deeper understanding of the entire process. The first stage is to determine the non-equilibrium solidification range. This range is ideal for ensuring that the prints are even and smooth.

The next step was to determine the growth restriction factor. Lastly, the supercooling parameters remain the final step in the process. For this step, the team calculated the relevant parameters using solidification simulations. This software allowed them to test several composites and monitor solidification to determine the best results.

Study Test & Results of New Titanium Alloy

The team created and tested their alloy composites at RMIT’s  Advanced Manufacturing Precinct, which provided them with everything they needed to create, alter, and track the formation of column-shaped microstructures from nucleation until completion.

Notably, the composite was created by mixing 99% pure elemental powders and blending them via a TURBULA blender. From there, a TruDisk solid-state laser was used to harden the prints.

Keenly, the team’s testing included taking microscopic images of the titanium alloys. This step enabled the engineers to ensure that the nanostructure remained intact long after the printing process was completed.

Through experimentation, the scientists were able to deduce the vital importance of certain alloys with uniform grain structure. As such, the tests provided eye-opening results that could reshape how scientists think of 3D printed titanium alloys moving forward.

The testing phase of the experimentation enabled engineers to certify that their simulations were correct. The team was able to accurately predict how certain materials and designs would behave under testing. Now, this data can be used to further refine the manufacturing process and create even stronger composites in the future.

The team succeeded in producing high-quality and uniform grain prints via their new approach. Their composition was stronger and more durable than earlier titanium alloys. Also, it offered an easily repeatable manufacturing process that provided uniform grain results.

3D-Printed Titanium Alloy Study Benefits

There are many benefits that his study reveals. For one, the work will act as a guiding light for future innovation in the titanium alloy 3D printing sector. This better understanding can act as a solid framework that engineers can use to predict the grain morphology of metallic alloys in the additive manufacturing processes.

How the New Titanium Alloy Enables Uniform Printing

One of the key benefits of the new method is that it provides even printing. The ability to avoid the formation of unwanted nanostructures results in even prints that can handle a lot more abuse compared to their predecessor. The evenness of these prints is crucial when discussing their use in highly sensitive applications such as aerospace components.

Improved Accessibility of Titanium 3D Printing

By replacing vanadium, the team makes titanium alloy 3D printing readily available to more users. Vanadium is a hard, silvery substance that is very rare in nature. Its malleability and its ability to stabilize against oxidation have made it a popular choice. However, its scarcity makes it hard to obtain and not realistic for large-scale applications.

Engineers found that by eliminating vanadium from the equation, they could reduce the cost of the manufacturing process by 29% compared to traditional titanium options. Consequently, this study could open the door for more manufacturers to utilize this game-changing technique in the coming years.

Customizable and Efficient Production with New Alloy

Utilizing the new titanium alloy composites, engineers will be able to create fully customizable components that can be used in aerospace and medical applications. This tailorable production is far less wasteful than previous methods, and it provides more flexibility in terms of design and weight-to-strength ratios.

Real-World Applications

There are several real-world applications for this study. For one, manufacturers are eager to find a low-cost approach that enables them to create high-performance components. The team’s efforts will enable titanium alloy composites to find use across several industries. Here are some of the obvious applications for this technology moving forward.

Applications in Aerospace Engineering

Titanium alloys are a crucial component of aerospace technology. Every ounce can make a difference when dealing with aerospace designs. As such, the industry could utilize this material to make vital components like spacecraft engines and structural parts, lightweight and more durable.

Medical Applications

There is a long list of applications for this alloy in the medical field. These devices provide exceptional biocompatibility, meaning that they can be implanted without your body rejecting them. Additionally, they provide high strength, are lightweight, and corrosion resistant. As such, the upgraded titanium alloy could improve implants, prosthetics, wearables, and the manufacturing process of other life-saving biocompatible devices.

Automotive Industry Applications

The automotive industry is always on the lookout for a better manufacturing process. You could see this technology play a pivotal role in making lightweight, high-performance electric engine components and more. The ability to 3D print these parts could lead to a day in the not-too-distant future where you could get emailed the plans for your replacement parts and print them at home.

Expected Timeline and Commercialization

The timeline for the application of this technology is around 5-10 years. There are still a lot of details that the engineers need to work out to take the concept from a small test to full-scale production. In the immediate future, the team will focus on finding collaborators to develop the technology further.

The engineers will now work to bring their proprietary titanium printing method to the market. As part of this strategy, the group has already filed a provisional patent. Now they will look into finding commercial manufacturing partners for future research and set up manufacturing facilities.

3D-Printed Titanium Alloy Study Researchers

The School of Engineering, Centre for Additive Manufacturing, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, hosted this groundbreaking study. The lead author for the work was Ryan Brooke. Impressively, he just recently accepted a Research Translation Fellowship at the University. The paper also lists Duyao Zhang, Dong Qiu, Mark A. Gibson, and Mark Easton as contributors.

Investing in the 3D Printing Metal Sector

The ability to 3D print metals has opened the door for new waves in technological advancements. Several companies are active in this sector, with many investing millions into R&D, seeking to create new and more efficient printing methods. Here’s one company that’s seen as an innovator in the market

Nano Dimension Ltd. (NNDM)

Nano Dimension Ltd (NNDM +1.42%) entered the market in 2012. The company’s founders, Amit Dror, Sharon Fima, and Simon Fried, created the firm to improve PCB board prototyping via advanced 3D printing solutions. Their approach proved successful, and in 2020, the company launched the first multi-layer PCB printer to hit the market.

Nano Dimension Ltd offers a variety of products today that can help companies retain their technological edge in the manufacturing process. The DragonFly IV System improves printing speed by using inkjet deposition of conductive and dielectric materials. This approach enables faster prototyping and lower costs.

The FLIGHT software suite is another popular option that makes working with complex structures easier. It enables designers to create intricate designs while optimizing their material usage. When used in conjunction with the micro 3D printing systems offered, it enables manufacturers to develop and monitor their prints on a micron level.

Latest Nano Dimension Ltd. (NNDM) Stock News and Developments

Conclusion: RMIT’s Titanium Alloy Breakthrough

The ability to 3D print metals is seen as a major leap forward in additive manufacturing capabilities. Consequently, there has been a steady influx of innovative metal composites created especially to achieve the best possible results when 3D printed. This latest venture will push this technology even further and enable engineers to create more advanced designs to power future technologies.

Learn about other cool additive manufacturing developments here.

Studies Referenced:

^{1. Brooke, R., Zhang, D., Qiu, D. et al. Compositional criteria to predict columnar to equiaxed transitions in metal additive manufacturing. Nat Commun 16, 5710 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60162-0}