Paper
2 March 2020 Comparative study between laser blasted and sandblasted surfaces of Ti6Al4V
Mohammad Ahmed, Tian Long See
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
Sandblasting is an established technique in generating surface textures on titanium and other metal alloys; these surfaces are desirable in the field of biomedical engineering as they promote osseointegration of medical implants. However, this process has significant limitations including, the embedment of abrasive particles causing changes to surface composition, lack of automation, and health hazards. Laser processing is becoming more common in the medical industry as a method to generate surface textures. Nanosecond laser systems are generally used in surface processing for their benefits of productivity and cost; however, the ultra-short pulsed lasers induce less thermal damage. This study probes the use of stochastic laser processing (laser-blasting) as an alternative to sandblasting to modify surfaces of Ti6Al4V. Laser processing parameters such as power and pulse durations were investigated in both nanosecond and femtosecond laser systems operating in the IR region. Surface morphology and microstructural changes of laser blasted samples were inspected using a variety of techniques (confocal microscopy, SEM and EDX) and then compared with those that had been sandblasted. The results obtained show that through careful selection of parameters, laser-blasting is capable of generating similar surfaces produced by sandblasting with limiting thermal damage.
© (2020) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Mohammad Ahmed and Tian Long See "Comparative study between laser blasted and sandblasted surfaces of Ti6Al4V", Proc. SPIE 11268, Laser-based Micro- and Nanoprocessing XIV, 112681T (2 March 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2542315
Advertisement
Advertisement
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission  Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace
KEYWORDS
Pulsed laser operation

Surface finishing

Laser ablation

Surface roughness

Laser processing

Titanium

Femtosecond phenomena

RELATED CONTENT

Femtosecond laser polishing of optical materials
Proceedings of SPIE (October 11 2015)
Throughput optimization for laser micro structuring
Proceedings of SPIE (March 04 2016)
Laser cutting and drilling with zero conicity
Proceedings of SPIE (February 17 2017)
Processing of metals with ps laser pulses in the range...
Proceedings of SPIE (February 21 2011)
The effects of varying substrate angle on feature quality in...
Proceedings of SPIE (September 20 2004)
Shock hardening as a novel technique for materials processing
Proceedings of SPIE (September 23 1996)

Back to Top