An Economic Design and Development of the Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing Setup

Abstract

The wire + arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is a technique that could fabricate metal parts with high deposition rate, good mechanical properties, and acceptable dimensional accuracy. Although any standard welding process could be used as the arc source, the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) system is better suited due to its integrated wire feeding and cost-effectiveness. The high cost of the computerised control system needed for WAAM makes it difficult to adapt in medium to small-scale industries. Therefore, the presented approach includes the design and development of three-axis CNC gantry, compatible with any GMAW system, thereby making it economical. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.