Electropolishing in ecofriendly solution of Ti6Al4V parts produced by electron beam melting

The additive manufacturing process is gaining increasing interest due to the possibility of producing components with a complex shape, very close to the final geometry. On the other hand, however, it involves a very high final roughness, such as to compromise the mechanical performance and resistance to corrosion. Therefore, post-processing treatments are required. Electropolishing could be the ideal treatment to reduce the roughness of these components. It is known that various parameters, such as the type of electrolyte solution, the voltage or current applied, the treatment time, agitation, etc. They could affect the effectiveness of the electropolishing treatment. The most used electrolyte solutions are dangerous to handle and difficult and expensive to dispose of. The aim of this work was to study a possible electropolishing treatment on Ti6Al4V samples made by Electron Beam Melting (EBM) using an “eco-friendly” electrolytic solution.