Determining the machining allowance for WAAM parts

Abstract

In order to decrease mass, and thus fulfil the targets for airplane traffic emission reduction, the amount of titanium alloys used for structural components is rising. With the conventional milling process, low material utilization and short tool life lead to high manufacturing costs. Therefore, a process chain consisting of wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) and machining is developed. To realize its full potential, the machining process needs to be adapted to the near-net shaped components. A special focus lies on the machining allowance, since it influences both processes and in result the final part quality. In this paper a method to model the machining allowance is proposed and verified by analysing the changes from waviness to surface roughness occurring during peripheral milling of WAAM parts.