Enhanced mechanical properties of additively manufactured bulk metallic glasses produced through laser foil printing from continuous sheetmetal feedstock

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) is a rapidly growing field aimed to produce high-performance net-shaped parts. Therefore, bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), known for their superlative mechanical properties, are of remarkable interest for integration with AM technology. In this study, we pioneer the utilization of commercially available BMG sheetmetal as feedstock for AM, using laser foil printing (LFP) technology. LFP and traditional casting were used to produce samples for four-point bending and Vickers hardness measurements to rigorously compare the mechanical performance of samples resulting from these two fabrication techniques. Through LFP, fully amorphous BMG samples with dimensions larger than the critical casting thickness of the same master alloy were successfully made, while exhibiting high yield strength and toughness in bending. This work exemplifies a potential method to fabricate high-value BMG commercial parts, like gears or mechanisms, where the parts are conventionally machined after printing, and greatly benefit from utilizing novel materials.