Blind micro-hole array Ti6Al4V templates for carrying biomaterials fabricated by fiber laser drilling

Blind micro-hole array templates were constructed by laser drilling using a 20 W fiber laser on a Ti6Al4V substrate to improve carrying capacity of Ti6Al4V substrate to biomaterials in this study. The influence of laser parameters on the morphology of the blind holes was investigated and the blind micro-hole array templates were fabricated by the optimized laser parameters. Three typical morphologies were generated through adjusting laser parameters. The type II micro-hole characterized by column-shaped entrance and a hemispherical dome bottom is believed to have a suitable morphology, which was produced by the optimized laser parameters, i.e., defocusing distance 0 mm, laser average power 16 W, laser irradiation time 1 ms and repetition rate 25 kHz. The blind micro-hole templates with different micro-hole density were constructed by the mentioned-above optimized parameters and then the nano-sized hydroxyapatite (HA) powders were uniformly deposited into the blind micro-hole templates by electrophoretic deposition. Finally, the dynamic behavior of laser-drilling process was analyzed.