Examples Of WAAM Manufacture
Several applications of 3-D production have been
made and are appropriate to illustrate the potential
in the marine industry. These are illustrated in
[Figures 2-4].
Driving Forces Behind WAAM Development
The primary driving force behind the development is
the potential to make huge savings in materials and
therefore costs.
Figure 2. Propeller 200 x 240 x 240 mm.
Material: 1.5125 G3Si1.
One specific area of application is in airframe
manufacture. Many components are made currently
by machining from a solid billet or forging, but over
50% of the original stock is lost as swarf. Another
area under consideration is landing gear production
where a cost saving of 70% is expected by using
additive manufacturing.
Current Activity
Additive layer manufacturing offers several
advantages for certain structural components such
as a vast reduction in material wastage, especially
when producing many heterogeneous parts, and the
ability to produce a great variety of part designs for
prototype work quickly.
Figure 3. Bell housing 230 x 380 x 380 mm.
Material: Aluminium alloy.
There is also the key benefit that it allows the
consideration of unconventional designs that
otherwise would not be practical because of
manufacturing or cost constraints due to, for
example, complex or unusual geometries, bringing
with it many different opportunities and challenges.
Early work at Cranfield University for Rolls-Royce
targeted aero engine applications. Researchers
here developed the wire + arc deposition process to
examine the use of Inconel, titanium, aluminium
and various nickel alloys. Since then the focus has
shifted to airframes. Although laser and powder
methods are useful for certain applications such as
rapid prototyping or for small highly complex parts,
Figure 4. Main structural element of aircraft wing.
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TUBE NEWS
June 2019
9