Laser polishing of additive manufactured Ti6Al4V alloy: a review

Additive manufactured Ti6Al4V alloy has excellent comprehensive properties and has broad application prospects in the aerospace, biomedicine, and other fields. However, the fabricated components are too rough to use directly. So, a corresponding postprocess is needed urgently. The conventional finishing process cannot meet the requirements of green and efficient processing because of its time consumption, environmental pollution, and low productivity. Laser polishing, as a highly efficient and noncontact post-treatment technology, has attracted more and more attention in the polishing of additive manufactured Ti6Al4V alloy. The research of laser polishing of Ti6Al4V alloy in recent years has expatiated and includes laser polishing mechanisms, surface roughness and morphology, microstructure, mechanical properties, and finite element simulation analysis during laser polishing. Furthermore, the existing challenges of laser-polished Ti6Al4V alloy are summarized, and future development directions are proposed.