Additive manufacturing of ultralong and architected single crystals.

Additive manufacturing enables the creation of metre-tall, complex single-crystal Ti-6Al-4V with an order-of-magnitude increase in creep resistance.

• Why it matters: Single-crystal materials are crucial for high-performance applications but are limited by traditional manufacturing methods that cannot accommodate large or complex structures due to thermal constraints.
• What they did: A novel free-form additive manufacturing technique was developed using controlled alternating and pulsed heat inputs to direct single-crystal growth, successfully producing large-scale and architected single crystals of Ti-6Al-4V and refractory metals.
• The result: This approach eliminates size constraints for single-crystal components, significantly enhances creep resistance, and broadens the range of materials and complex geometries achievable, advancing high-performance material design.