PARAMETER SELECTION FOR WIRE ARC ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING (WAAM) PROCESS

摘要

Wire Arc Additive manufacturing (WAAM) is considered a substitute economical manufacturing process due to its benefits in saving lead-time, high deposition rates, low material utilization and low production and equipment cost. The goal of this research was to develop a large-scale production strategy for aluminum; producing parts with good structural integrity. Since aluminum required low heat input, pulsed arc gas metal arc welding (GMAW-P) was used for the deposition. Parts deposited using GMAW-P usually exhibits no spatter, no cracks and very low porosity, which are common problems when welding aluminum alloys. The approach followed included a thorough experimentation phase to optimize the input process parameters as well as predict bead profile using the Robot's synergic mode of operation. The meso and microstructure, heat input amongst other mechanical properties were assessed and concluded satisfactory.