Mechanical and microstructural characterization of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy processed by additive manufacturing for overdenture prosthesis

The main objective of this work is to show the capabilities of additive manufacturing to obtain arches and overdentures from titanium alloys. Overdentures are obtained mainly by subtractive techniques in both titanium alloys and Co-Cr-Mo. Obtaining these overdentures in Ti-6Al-4V, with better biocompatibility than Co alloys, by additive manufacturing (AM), by both laser and electron beam techniques, is of increasing interest. However, adequate mechanical and microstructural characterization is necessary to bring them closer to the alloys obtained by forging and machining. Parts obtained by selective laser melting (SLM) have been developed, which show mechanical properties like those of casting and plastic deformation, although their plasticity decreases significantly. Its lamellar microstructure can be modified by thermal treatments that improve the plasticity of AM alloys, which currently present a deformation slightly lower than that required by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F2924-2021 standard. Therefore, there is a need to improve this property through appropriate thermal treatments. Its lamellar microstructure can be modified through heat treatments that can improve the plasticity of MA alloys, which currently have a deformation slightly lower than that required by the ASTM F2924-2021 standard. Hence, there is a need to improve this property through thermal treatments.