For Flex Failure Resistance

  • Boost 3D Flex Failure Resistance up to 27X
  • Extend Implant Life in Use Improve Mechanics Create Higher Porosity Designs
 
FLEX3D™ Post-treatment

is a proprietary surface post-treatment, increases the flex fatigue performance of 3D-printed titanium and titanium alloy implants. The post-treatment inhibits crack initiation and propagation under cycling stresses, thereby reducing the risk of implant failure.  The FLEX3D™ technology targets the critical surface factors that drive crack initiation and propagation under flex stress including, a) internal defects, b) microstructure, c) surface condition, and d) residual stresses.¹

Flex3D-Wedge1

Figure 1: CAD model of fatigue test sample, per ASTM F3001.

In testing, parts coated with FLEX3D™ post-treatment each successfully completed 10 million fatigue cycles at 20 ksi using a testing “dog bone”  (ASTM F3001), while all pieces were HIP treated, the further Electropolished and No Treatment parts achieved approximately 311,000 and 360,000 cycles, respectively. (ASTM E466, Standard Practice for Conducting Force Controlled Constant Amplitude Axial Fatigue Tests of Metallic Materials.) White paper available on request.

¹ Tested per ASTM E466, Standard Practice for Conducting Force Controlled Constant Amplitude Axial Fatigue Tests of Metallic Materials. Fabricated from Titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V Grade 23) per ASTM F3001, Standard Specification for Additive Manufacturing Titanium-6 Aluminum-4 Vanadium ELI (Extra Low Interstitial) with Powder Bed Fusion