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3-D Printing: Removal of oxide on alloys

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Q. Hi,
I have a titanium alloy (TI-6Al-4v) which was 3-D printed from SLM printer, which is heated to 450 °C in vacuum. Now I can't read the surface of the alloy for micro hardness through the tester because of the oxides formed on the alloy. How can I remove the oxides formed on the alloy to have a clear view of the surface?

kali pogula
project - australia
April 18, 2017

A. When I had a Ti finishing job some years back, I used a 1:1 mix of HNO3 and HF. Scary stuff!

Ammonium bifluoride might work instead of HF.

Dave Wichern
Consultant - The Bronx, New York

? Are you saying that you can't properly see and measure the diamond indentation because of the oxide?

Ken Kirby
- Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA

A. We electropolish 3-D printed titanium parts, but only small ones - the surface is very developed and consumes lots of AMPS.

60434

Anna Berkovich
~~Russamer Lab~~ - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
(ed. update July, 2025: sorry, Anna has retired)

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