A review on the influence of process variables on the surface roughness of Ti-6Al-4V by electron beam powder bed fusion

Electron beam powder bed fusion (EB-PBF) has been given much attention in recent years for its potential in the aerospace and medical industries, particularly with Ti‐6Al‐4V. However, these processes produce parts with inherent rough surface finishes, impacting the performance and generating additional challenges and costs with surface post-processing. This review examines the primary mechanisms responsible for surface roughness generation in EB-PBF and the process variables that have been verified to influence the surface quality of Ti‐6Al‐4V parts. The challenges in surface metrology of metallic PBF parts are also discussed, as are new perspectives and guidelines for future research.