Development of highly porous titanium scaffolds by selective laser melting

The selective laser melting (SLM) of the TiH2–Ti blended powder was performed in the present work. Porous titanium scaffolds characterized by high porosity (∼ 70%), interconnected Ti walls and open porous structures with macroscopic pores (in a range of ∼ 200 to ∼ 500 μm) were successfully prepared at a laser power of 1000 W and a scan speed of 0.02 m/s. The effects of componential and processing conditions in terms of TiH2 content and scan speed on the microstructural development of porous titanium (porosity and pores size) were investigated. Reasonable mechanisms for pores formation during SLM apart from microstructural evolutions were proposed.