On the printability and transformation behavior of nickel-titanium shape memory alloys fabricated using laser powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing

Laser powder-bed fusion (L-PBF) additive manufacturing is regarded as an attractive alternative for producing parts with complex geometries for nickel-titanium shape memory alloys (NiTi SMAs). These alloys are known to pose challenges when processed using traditional subtractive or formative manufacturing technologies. Although L-PBF of NiTi has been investigated in some previous research efforts, very little emphasis has been placed on the manufacturability (or printability) of NiTi, where we use printability to refer to the capability of producing parts free of macroscopic defects.