Wire ARC Additive Manufacturing of Functional Metals - A Review

Abstract

The need for wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) has substantially expanded in recent years, and it has emerged as a possible alternative to subtractive production. According to research, the mechanical qualities of wire arc additively manufactured materials are comparable to cast material. When compared to other fusion sources, WAAM provides considerable cost savings as well as a higher deposition rate. However, WAAM presents considerable problems, including undesired microstructures and mechanical characteristics, large residual stresses, and deformation. As a result, more study is required to address the aforementioned problems by optimizing process parameters and post-deposition heat treatment. In accordance with the foregoing, this paper attempts to fill the gap by presenting a comprehensive review of WAAM literature, which includes stage-wise development of WAAM, metals, and alloys used, effects of process parameters, and methodologies used by various researchers to improve the quality of WAAM components. Furthermore, this work suggests topics that could be explored further in the future. Keywords: Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing, Subtractive production, cost saving, optimizing parameters, stage wise development.