WIRE ARC ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL SUBTRACTIVE MANUFACTURING

Abstract

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is an emerging technology that offers several benefits over conventional subtractive manufacturing methods, such as CNC milling. In this paper, we investigate the implications of WAAM for the production of large gauge thin-walled parts, which are typically difficult and costly to manufacture using milling technologies. This research proposes a design of a WAAM cell architecture and compare its performance with a conventional CNC machining centre in terms of equipment costs, manufacturing time, material loss and tool wear. A case study of a part that is manufactured by both methods which analyses the results is presented. During this research it was found that WAAM can reduce the manufacturing time by about 15%, the material loss by 97%, and eliminate the tool wear. This led to the conclusion that WAAM is a promising technology which can increase the efficiency and flexibility of manufacturing processes, especially for expensive materials that are more challenging to process using conventional methods. The limitations and future directions of WAAM are also discussed within this research.