Electron Beam Melted (EBM) Co-Cr-Mo Alloy for Orthopaedic Implant Applications

The Electron Beam Melting (EBM) manufacturing process is emerging as an additional method for producing orthopaedic devices in several materials, including Co-Cr-Mo Alloy. This work presents the chemical, microstructural and mechanical properties of several test specimens produced by the EBM process before and after a post‐EBM Heat treatment. Comparisons are made to the properties of Co-Cr-Mo materials used within the orthopaedic implant industry processed by conventional methods such as investment casting and machining from wrought. The results of the work are promising, and demonstrate that EBM produced Co-Cr-Mo material has comparable, and in several cases superior microstructural and mechanical properties to those found in the traditionally-processed materials used today. Introduction The last several years have seen many advances towards realizing the goal of additive manufacturing for medical and aerospace applications. The additive manufacturing industry has focused its efforts on producing ‘higher end’ metals including medical grade stainless steels, titanium, titanium alloys and cobalt-chrome alloys. The availability of these materials within the scope of additive manufacturing technology opens the door for many applications in the field. One of the industry-leading additive metal manufacturing processes is the Electron Beam Melting (EBM) Process. The EBM process is an additive fabrication process, which utilizes a scanning electron beam to melt pre-alloyed metal powder in a layered fashion and build a threedimensional construct, based on input generated from a computer model. The EBM process is quite different than conventional production techniques, thus it is anticpated that the properties and mirctostructure of EBM produced materials will differ from what is currently seen today. The EBM process intruduces several processing variables which do not exist in currrent manufacturing methods. It is important to identify these variables, and come to understand their effect on the metallurgical characteristics of the material. The goal of this paper is to present the metallurgical properties of a particular alloy produced by the EBM process; Co-Cr-Mo. Results of chemical, microstructural, and mechanical evaluations will be presented. The results of these evaluations will be used to compare EBM produced Co-Cr-Mo material to several similar materials used today in the medical industry. In addition, key processing variables that may influence the properties of the material are identified, and their effects on the material are investigated. The Electron Beam Melting Process Like many rapid manufacturing techniques, the EBM process creates a physical component from digital CAD models by building the component in a series of layers. The EBM process starts by distributing a 70 μm layer of fine metal powder onto a steel platform. An electron beam is produced by passing current through a Tungsten filament. The electron beam scans areas of the metal powder layer, in an x-y coordinate system (as defined by the computer model) fully melting the powder in the areas scanned. Once the beam has scanned the appropriate areas, the steel platform is lowered by 70 μm and a new layer of powder is distributed on top of the previously melted layer. This process continues, layer by layer, until a complete part is produced. During processing the entire build chamber maintains a temperature of approximately 800 o C. Once the part has been completed, the build chamber is flooded with He gas to expedite cooling. A schematic of the EBM process is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: Schematic of an EBM production system. The use of an electron beam to supply the energy necessary to melt the metal powder mandates that the process be done in a vacuum chamber, which minimizes chemical reactions between the melting metal powder and the surrounding atmosphere. Currently the EBM process is capable of producing parts up to 200x200x200 mm, with a dimensional accuracy of 0.4 mm. Post EBM Heat Treatment In addition to evaluating as-produced Co-Cr-Mo samples directly out of the EBM process, samples were also evaluated following a two-stage heat treatment. The heat treatment consisted of a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) cycle and a homogenization treatment. The goals of the heat treatments were to dissolve carbides present in the as-produced material and improve isotropy of the microstructure. Table A outlines the parameters used for each heat treatment cycle. Table A: Heat treatment parameters Heat Treatment Cycle Time Temperature Pressure Atmosphere Quench HIP 4 hrs 1185 25 ksi Argon N/A Homogenization 4 hrs 1190 N/A Argon 75oC/Minute Procedure for Metallurgical Evaluation The goal of this research was to provide basic matallurgical data from evaluation of EBM produced Co-Cr-Mo alloys, and to compare the results of these evaluations to data in literature and conventionally used standards and specifications. To accomplish this goal, several test specimens were produced to evaluate the chemical composition, microstructure, and mechanical properties of EBM produced material. Sample Production & Orientation: Mechanical testing was conducted on samples whose gauge-section was both parallel (Z orientation) and perpendicular (XY orientation) to the beam direction. Z orientation samples were produced as cylinders, where as XY samples were produced as large slabs which were sectioned into several specimens. Chemical Composition: Chemical composition analysis was conducted on virgin Co-Cr-Mo alloy powder prior to EBM production. Solid specimens produced from the same powder were analyzed following EBM production to understand changes in chemical composition during solidification. The analyses were conducted in accordance with ASTM E 354 [1]. Microstructure: Cross-sections of specimens created by the EBM process were prepared for metallographic examination. The gross microstructure of material was evaluated in two orientations, parallel to the build direction (Z orientation), and horizontal to the build direction (XY orientation). Samples were taken from the mid-section of each specimen, approximately 25mm from the bottom of the build platform. In addition to the EBM produced Co-Cr-Mo alloy, a custom Co-Cr-Mo implant component investment cast in accordance with ASTM F 75[2] was also sectioned and prepared for metallographic examination to allow for a comparison of microstructures. All samples were evaluated by light microscopy and were electrolytically etched in a 5% HCl solution. Mechanical Properties: The mechanical properties of EBM produced Co-Cr-Mo material were evaluated by static tensile testing, rotating bending fatigue testing, Rockwell hardness testing, and facture analysis. The mechanical testing specimens were machined to the appropriate dimensions for each test from the near-net shapes. The static tensile properties of the EBM produced material were evaluated in accordance with ASTM E 8, using the round powder metallurgy specimen geometry (Figure 20 of ASTM E8-08) [3]. Rockwell hardness was measured on cross sections of the grip area on tensile samples following testing. Rotating bending fatigue (RBF) samples were surface polished in the gauge area prior to testing to prevent premature failures. The tests were conducted at a frequency of 100 Hz at room temperature. A run-out value of 10 million cycles was chosen. Results and Discussion Table B contains the chemical composition of the virgin powder prior to production as well as the chemical composition of solid test specimens following EBM production. The results indicate that no significant changes in material composition occur during the melting and re-solidification of the pre-alloyed powder during the EBM process. Of particular note, are the consistent levels of interstitial elements such as O, N, C and H. The high vacuum level in the build chamber of the EBM equipment limits the amount of these gasses available for diffusion into the material during production, allowing for tight control on interstitial elements. Alloys containing elements with greatly differing melting points have shown a propensity to ‘burn off’ a fraction of the low melting point element during the EBM process. This phenomenon has been observed with a loss of Al during the EBM production of Ti6Al4V alloys [4].This does not appear to be the case for the Co-Cr-Mo alloy system, as all alloying elements remain relatively constant throughout the process. Table B: Chemical compositions of Co-Cr-Mo powder and EBM solidified material State Al wt% B wt% C wt% Cr wt% Fe wt% Mn wt% Mo wt% N wt% Ni wt% P wt% Si wt% Ti wt% W wt% Co wt% Powder <0.010 <0.001 0.24 28.29 0.60 0.59 5.74 0.16 0.14 0.009 0.37 0.026 <0.01 Bal. EBM Solidified <0.010 <0.001 0.22 27.69 0.23 0.40 5.96 0.14 0.09 0.009 0.38 0.011 <0.01 Bal. The microstructure of the Co-Cr-Mo alloys resulting from EBM solidification is unique to the process. Micrographs of as-produced EBM Co-Cr-Mo alloy for both XY and Z orientations are shown in Figure 2. These micrographs are representative of the microstructure typical seen in EBM produced Co-Cr-Mo alloys. The microstructure consists of columnar grains orientated along the z-axis. A large number of carbides are also present in both micrographs. It is suggested that the combination of high carbon content along with the elevated 800 o C chamber temperature during EBM production encourage the precipitation of carbides out of the matrix material. Figure 3 contains micrographs of EBM Co-Cr-Mo alloy for both XY and Z orientations following hot isostatic pressing and a homogenizing heat treatment. The heat treatments result in several significant changes in the material microstructure. Heat treatment appears to re-dissolve a portion of the carbides back into solution, increase the overall grain size of the material, and most importantly, results in a much more isotropic microstructure.