A review of aluminum alloy fabricated by different processes of wire arc additive manufacturing

Abstract

Due to the advantages of high deposition rate, low equipment cost and high material utilization rate, aluminum alloy fabricated by wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) has been widely concerned by scholars and scientific institutions. This article reviews the features of aluminum alloy fabricated by different WAAM processes (GMAW-based, GTAW-based, CMT-based, PAW-based). Research status of the porosity, dimensional accuracy, microstructure and mechanical properties of aluminum alloy in different process is analyzed. General tendency of microstructure and mechanical properties were discussed, and suggestions for the future research direction were put forward including mandatory constraint on molten pool and structural topological optimization.