Application of Laser Remelting Treatments to Improve the Properties of Ti6Al4V Alloy

Ti6Al4V is the α-β alloy most employed in industry. The modification of its properties can be achieved with conventional heat treatments and/or with laser processing. Laser remelting (LR) has been applied to Ti6Al4V by other authors with excimer and Nd-YAG laser, employing pure argon as shielding gas to prevent risk of oxidation. In the present contribution, LR has been applied for the first time with a high power diode laser shielded with argon to improve the properties of Ti6Al4V. Results showed that remelted samples (with medium energy densities) have higher microhardness and better corrosion resistance than Ti6Al4V base metal.