The Paton Welding Journal, 2026, №04

2026 №04 (05)

DOI of Article 10.37434/tpwj2026.04.01

2026 №04 (02)

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The Paton Welding Journal, 2026, #4, 3-10 pages

Effect of process parameters of the additive electron beam process on the properties of thin-walled products from VT6 alloy

V.A. Matviichuk, V.M. Nesterenkov, M.O. Sysoev

E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of the NASU. 11 Kazymyr Malevych Str., 03150, Kyiv, Ukraine. E-mail: vl.matviichuk@gmail.com

Abstract
The subject of investigation is the process of structure formation and mechanical properties of thin-walled products fabricated by additive electron beam melting (EBM) technology from VT6 titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–4V) powder. The alloy is widely used in industry due to its high weldability, strength, and fatigue resistance. Spherical VT6 titanium alloy powder with a particle size of 40–160 μm, produced by rotary plasma atomisation, was used as feedstock. A computer model was created in Materialise Magics software, from which 36 specimens were printed at beam travel speeds ranging from 500 to 6000 mm/s. It was established that a beam travel speed of 500 mm/s combined with an energy density of 40 J/mm³ ensures complete melting of the powder layer, stable shape formation, and controlled thermal conditions. This promotes the formation of a balanced (α+β)-microstructure with acicular α-phase morphology and α-lamella thickness of 0.5–1.5 μm. The volume fraction of α-Ti is 90±3 %, β-Ti — 10±3 %. The microhardness level of the specimens is HV0.1 = 3.5±0.7 GPa. The results demonstrate that the combination of high-quality powder feedstock and a rational printing mode ensures high process reproducibility, structural stability, and suitability of the technology for manufacturing thin-walled products.
Keywords: additive technology, electron beam, VT6 titanium alloy, Ti–6Al–4V, thin-walled products, process parameters, microstructure, chemical composition, microhardness

Received: 23.12.2025
Received in revised form: 25.02.2026
Accepted: 11.04.2026

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Suggested Citation

V.A. Matviichuk, V.M. Nesterenkov, M.O. Sysoev (2026) Effect of process parameters of the additive electron beam process on the properties of thin-walled products from VT6 alloy. The Paton Welding J., 04, 3-10. https://doi.org/10.37434/tpwj2026.04.01

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