The Strategy for Fabricating Wire-Structure Parts Using Robotic Skeleton Arc Additive Manufacturing

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is an emerging process for the fabrication of complex metallic components due to its high deposition rate and low equipment costs. This paper presents a WAAM strategy adapted especially for producing freeform wire-structured parts. Contributions in this work include a bead modelling study to establish optimal welding parameters and a novel deposition strategy, which includes an adaptive slicing methodology and height control system to control the overall process. The effectiveness of this approach, termed skeleton arc additive manufacturing (SAAM), was demonstrated with the manufacture of a complex wire-structured part.