WAAM TECHNOLOGY OPTIMIZED BY OFF-LINE 3D ROBOT SIMULATION

Abstract

WAAM (Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing) is an alternative additive technology that combines an electric arc as a heat source, filler material in the form of a wire for welding and cladding individual weld passes so as to ultimately achieve the closest shape of produced components. Nowadays, when it is modern to digitize the manufacturing production, this process can also be designed using off-line programming tools and 3D simulations of the robot that welds the whole structure. This study deals with the comparison of three structured continuous welds using different weld metal transfers. From the results of the first two processes (dip transfer and IAC process), optimization was achieved using the CMT process and the welding path correction. As the filler material, the low-alloyed solid wire electrode for shielded arc welding of quenched and tempered fine grained structural steels, Böhler Union X 90 (G 89 6 M Mn4Ni2CrMo) with 1 mm in diameter, was used. Obtained samples were subjected to standard technological tests. The results of these tests are used to determine new parameters to ensure stability of this technology. The experiment confirmed that off-line programming will greatly influence the speed and quality of the welding track programs. The results prove that, by combining off-line welding path optimization with an optimized CMT welding process, we can achieve a stable WAAM process.