EVALUATION OF OVERHANG ANGLE IN TIG WELDING-BASED WIRE ARC ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROCESS

Abstract

Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) is a relatively new manufacturing method. It is a novel technique to build net-shaped or near-net-shaped metal components in a layer-by-layer manner via applying metal wire and selection of a heat source such as laser beam, electron beam, or electric arc. WAAM process is preferable as an alternative to traditional manufacturing methods especially for complex featured and large scale solid parts manufacturing and it is particularly used for aerospace structural components, manufacturing and repairing of dies/molds. TIG welding-based WAAM method is implemented by depositing continuous wire melted via heat. In this study, the overhang (self-supporting) angle in TIG welding-based wire arc additive manufacturing process is investigated. The overhang angles are the angles at which a 3D printer can build tapered (overhang) surfaces without the need to supporting material below the printing layer. The material, bead height, TIG weld parameters and the environment temperature (cooling rate of printed layer) are the parameters which affect the overhang angle. The results show that the maximum overhang angle is also dependent on the temperature of the previous layer. For the selected set of process parameters, the maximum overhang angle is found as 28o, if the temperature of the previous layer is cooled to 150oC before the subsequent layer is deposited.