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FEATURE
3D PRINTING/ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING THE FUTURE OF
LARGE COMPONENT PROTOTYPING IS WAAM
Aluminium nose cone manufactured by WAAM3D and Aircraft Research Association (ARA) using the Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing process
Prototype development is expensive and can take years, impacting both product development and innovation. However, with new developments in
metal additive manufacturing, it can now be done in weeks and at significantly reduced costs. Filomeno Martina, CEO and co-founder of WAAM3D, discusses how Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing has the
potential to change the future of large component prototype design in manufacturing
as the more effective the prototype, the better the finished product. As well as being used for advanced stage
T
and pre-production phases, metal prototypes can also be used early on, particularly when mechanical and functional performance needs to be assessed. Metal prototypes can be made from aluminium, steel or other materials and created using a range of processes such as CNC machining, sheet metal forming, casting or 3D metal printing.
AM PROTOTYPES All 3D metal printing, or additive manufacturing (AM), processes follow the same procedure for creating a prototype. They are all based on the translation of a 3D model (usually a 3D computer aided design – CAD – file) into a series of layers that creates the final 3D shape. These digital CAD designs can be easily altered between prototypes and the dissemination of the final design to other parties is straightforward. However, it is the bead dimensions of the deposited material and the slicing routines that are critical to determine how complex the finished prototype can be. In addition, only a few AM processes offer the potential to produce fully dense metal components1
with similar
mechanical properties as traditional methods. When it comes to 3D metal printing, there
are four AM processes that are particularly appropriate for prototype and component applications: Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (EBPBF), Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) and
40 DESIGN SOLUTIONS FEBRUARY 2022
esting and developing a part through prototype design can be a long, costly, process. This stage is, however, vital
but, it isn’t suitable for the production of big components. One technique that has the potential to transform large-scale prototype and component production is Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing – WAAM. This is because it avoids the expensive waste associated with machining materials such as titanium and can create less complex, medium-to-large scale structures, in a range of materials – from titanium, aluminium, refractory metals, steel, bronze and copper to Invar, Inconel and magnesium.
IN PRACTICE WAAM3D, Milton Keynes and Aircraft Research Association (ARA), Bedford, have partnered to manufacture an aluminium nose cone measuring 190mm in diameter and with a length of 350mm. The component has been successfully integrated into a wind tunnel model ready to be tested in ARA’s own Transonic Wind Tunnel this summer. The collaboration is part of a Clean Sky 2 research and innovation funded programme (under GA Agreement no. 864803) to study the benefits of using ‘Boundary Layer Ingestion’ technology for environmental benefits on future aircraft designs. During the development process of the
A close-up of an as-printed WAAM
titanium component. As little as 2mm will be machined off to reveal the final geometry
Laser Metal Deposition (LMD). It is important to consider the following needs when deciding on which AM process to pursue: • What is the minimum required feature size in the component? Due to layer height and melt pool width dynamics, the starting point for the prototype development process selection must be the minimum required feature size of the component. • What surface finish will the end component require? The natural shape of the weld pool during the build process leads to a scalloped outside surface. The size of these scallops will depend on the bead height laid down. The surface of the metal prototype – and future components created – might need finishing if specific smooth or polished surfaces are required.
WAAM FOR LARGER PROTOTYPES There is inevitably a trade-off in AM processes between surface finish and component size. LPBF is ideal for complex designs with thin walls as it relies on finer particles and laser spot sizes;
prototype and finished piece, the project team optimised the design of the nose cone to make best use of the starting bar feedstock, minimising the material to be deposited, production time, and overall cost. WAAM3D printed the near net component using their WAAM process, and ARA machined it to final shape and tolerances. The two organisations, leveraging on decades of experience in their respective fields, were able to compress the often critical lead time between shape definition to manufactured component and reduced cost with material usage reduced by 74%. Following this new trial, ARA and WAAM3D will seek to apply WAAM to a larger number of components and investigate other alloys, e.g. maraging steel. The development of Wire Arc Additive
Manufacturing (WAAM) technology has created new opportunities for large format 3D printing in the development of prototypes and component manufacturing in sectors as diverse as aerospace, marine, energy, and construction. The future of prototyping is WAAM.
WAAM3D
T: 01908 101030
www.waam3d.com
1 Murr et al. 2013; Uriondo et al. 2015; Sun et al. 2013
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