On 3D Printing of Functionally Graded Implants Using Two Different Metallic Powder-Based Alloys

For 3D printing of single metallic alloys like Ti-6Al-4 V, Ni-625, 17-4 precipitate hardened (PH) stainless steel (SS), etc. in powder form the use of direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) is widely reported. This study outlines the 3D printing of two different metallic powder-based alloys (17-4 PH SS and Ni-625) for fabricating functionally graded implants (FGI) by using phelan and dodecahedron as an infill to get meta-structures with tunable properties of Ni-625 between 17 and 4 PH SS layers. The results indicate that the 3D-printed dodecahedron-based meta-structure is recommended for the fabrication of FGI due to a higher corrosion rate (CR) of 0.081 mm2/yr and less Young's modulus (E) 863.86 MPa than phelan having CR 0.023 mm2/yr and E 900 MPa.