Intrinsic heat treatment within additive manufacturing of gamma titanium aluminide space hardware

A major part of laser additive manufacturing focuses on the fabrication of metallic parts for applications in the space and aerospace sectors. Especially, the processing of the very brittle titanium aluminides can be particularly challenging because of their distinct tendency to lamellar interface cracking. In the present paper, a gamma titanium aluminide (g-TiAl) nozzle, manufactured via electron beam melting, is extended and adapted via hybrid laser metal deposition. The presented example considers a new field of application for this class of materials and approaches the process-specific manipulation of the composition and/or microstructure via the adjustment of processing temperatures, temperature gradients and solidification conditions. Furthermore, intrinsic heat treatment is investigated for electron beam melting and laser metal deposition with powder, and the resulting influence is releated to conventional processing.