In-situ TiC reinforced Ti6Al4V composites via self-supporting digital light processing additive manufacturing

Digital light processing (DLP) additive manufacturing is employed in this work to fabricate in situ Ti6Al4V-TiC composites. Attention is given to slurry formulation and exposure optimization to ensure stable curing and reliable interlayer bonding. A Ti6Al4V slurry with optimized particle size and photoinitiator content enables stable curing with sufficient thickness of approximately 49 μm and reduced light scattering at an exposure energy of 750 mJ/cm 2 , allowing precise fabrication of self-supporting complex structures. After debinding and sintering, the components exhibit smooth surfaces, low residual porosity, and a predominantly equiaxed α-Ti microstructure with in-situ formed TiC particles. The TiC phase originates from the reaction between the Ti matrix and residual carbon generated during resin pyrolysis, resulting in a Ti6Al4V–TiC composite. The fabricated composites demonstrate a high compressive strength of 2321.3 MPa and low residual stress. This research demonstrates the potential of DLP technology in preparing Ti6Al4V-TiC composites with complex structures and provides a new approach for metal composite additive manufacturing.