Improvement in Process Efficiency of WAAM-TIG by In-Situ Voltage–Current–Temperature Monitoring and Feedback Control System

Abstract

The temperature dependent feedback-based control system was implemented in wire arc additive manufacturing utilising tungsten inert gas as a power source (WAAM-TIG) to prevent overheating and improve the overall process efficiency. In-situ monitoring of voltage and current utilised during the deposition was also performed to ensure arc stability. The PID (Proportional–Integral–Derivative) based controller was implemented to maintain the desired setpoint temperature behind the deposition point. The developed system successfully minimises the specific energy requirement by supplying enough input energy only to deposit a unit volume of material and prevent overheating which is often observed in multilayer deposition at constant parameters. The overall process efficiency was found to be increased by ~ 22%. The multilayer deposited wall showed an increase in bead height of ~ 27.1% and a decrease in width of ~ 14.7%, with improvement in geometrical uniformity. However, the proposed system demonstrated a negligible impact on mechanical parameters, including tensile strength, hardness, and resultant microstructure. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Korean Society for Precision Engineering 2025.