Melbourne Lab Develops a 3D-Printed Titanium Alternative

Engineers at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, have recently developed a 3D printed titanium alloy that is not only stronger than the current industry standard but also significantly cheaper to produce. Titanium alloys are already heavily present within the aerospace and medical industries due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. However, the material vanadium, which is often used to create these alloys, is expensive, especially with the popular Ti-6Al-4V formulation.

Through the university’s Center for Additive Manufacturing (RCAM), the engineers discovered an alternative to vanadium. The team used a combination of affordable alternatives and discovered that there was both an improved mechanical performance and a 29% reduction in cost to produce. According to doctoral researcher Ryan Brooke, “our new alloy is not only cheaper but performs better than what the industry currently uses,” signaling a possible shift in the future to how we approach alloy design for additive manufacturing.

The new samples are being tested at RMIT’s Advanced Manufacturing Precinct

Their research was recently published in Nature Communications and addresses one of the most persistent challenges in metal 3D printing: microstructural consistency. Traditional titanium alloys often form columnar microstructures when printed, which often results in uneven mechanical properties based on the direction of stress. The RMIT team’s new design suppresses this behavior, creating a more uniform structure that performs better under stress. Brooke noted that the situation is like using outdated fuel in a modern car. “It’s like we’ve created an airplane and are still just driving it around the streets,” he said.