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Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing
Best Quality Wire Alloys for a Revolutionary Technology
With the manufacturing of wires which are tailor-made to its specific purpose, voestalpine Böhler Welding is creating the basis for innovative Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing. The metallurgical and application knowhow of its materials specialists makes the company a central element in this technological revolution.
A revolutionary technology shapes the future of our life
Wire arc additive manufacturing enables fast and highly efficient production processes replacing conventional technologies as casting and forging. The machining effort like milling and drilling is reduced to a minimum due to a near-netshape using WAAM. Lead times can be reduced dramatically by high utilization of the wire consumables and by simplification of the production process in general.
Especially as the Wire arc additive manufacturing is based on the well-known technology of joining and cladding materials with a wide range of commercialy available wire consumables from unalloyed, mid- and high alloyed steels. But also nickel- and cobalt base alloys can be used and combined, if metallurgical reasonable, to gradient structured parts.
Given the typical layer thickness applied, Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing is – compared to powder-based Additive Manufacturing – more suitable to generate low to medium complexity and up to large scale preform components. Due to a wide range of parameter settings it is possible to reach high deposition rates with rates up to 5kg/h, so that the production of large scale parts is feasible within reasonable time frames.
Depending on the material alloy group, heat treatments and post-machining is usually required to give the components the final properties.
Key Benefits for Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing
- Wide range of deposition rates (low to high)
- Near-Net shape and therefore reduced material loss
- Conventional machining time reduced to minimum
- Reduced lead times
- Good structural integrity
- Low to medium complexity components
For Demanding Industries
- Mechanical engineering & machinery
- Oil & gas upstream and offshore
- Chemical industry
- Power generation
- Aerospace
Cooperation for Material and Technology Research
Together with its industrial and scientific partners, voestalpine Böhler Welding has initiated R&D programs to explore the application behavior of wire consumables in Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing. Results will allow to further optimize the wire consumables and to develop alloy compositions for the next generation 3D printing applications.