Latest Developments in Industrial Hybrid Machine Tools that Combine Additive and Subtractive Operations

Hybrid machine tools combining additive and subtractive processes have arisen as a solution to increasing manufacture requirements, boosting the potentials of both technologies, while compensating and minimizing their limitations. Nevertheless, the idea of hybrid machines is relatively new and there is a notable lack of knowledge about the implications arisen from their in-practice use. Therefore, the main goal of the present paper is to fill the existing gap, giving an insight into the current advancements and pending tasks of hybrid machines both from an academic and industrial perspective. To that end, the technical-economical potentials and challenges emerging from their use are identified and critically discussed. In addition, the current situation and future perspectives of hybrid machines from the point of view of process planning, monitoring, and inspection are analyzed. On the one hand, it is found that hybrid machines enable a more efficient use of the resources available, as well as the production of previously unattainable complex parts. On the other hand, it is concluded that there are still some technological challenges derived from the interaction of additive and subtractive processes to be overcome (e.g., process planning, decision planning, use of cutting fluids, and need for a post-processing) before a full implantation of hybrid machines is fulfilledSpecial thanks are addressed to the Industry and Competitiveness Spanish Ministry for the support on the DPI2016-79889-R INTEGRADDI project and to the PARADDISE project H2020-IND-CE-2016-17/H2020-FOF-2016 of the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program

The current state of research of wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM): a review

Wire arc additive manufacturing is currently rising as the main focus of research groups around the world. This is directly visible in the huge number of new papers published in recent years concerning a lot of different topics. This review is intended to give a proper summary of the international state of research in the area of wire arc additive manufacturing. The addressed topics in this review include but are not limited to materials (e.g., steels, aluminum, copper and titanium), the processes and methods of WAAM, process surveillance and the path planning and modeling of WAAM. The consolidation of the findings of various authors into a unified picture is a core aspect of this review. Furthermore, it intends to identify areas in which work is missing and how different topics can be synergetically combined. A critical evaluation of the presented research with a focus on commonly known mechanisms in welding research and without a focus on additive manufacturing will complete the review

A Framework for Hybrid Manufacturing in Robotic Cells

Compared to other additive technologies, Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) offers high deposition rates, flexibility and a larger build volume as well as reduction of material waste. WAAM can be combined with a subtractive technology in hybrid robotic cells to further increase the application scope, thus producing products with improved surface finish where needed. However, there are some open issues that limit this process. So, the main goal of this paper is to review current research developments and provide a framework aimed at manufacturing parts by hybrid cells. A procedure is defined which moves from the evaluation of the designed shapes, their analysis to identify a proper manufacturing sequence until the elaboration of the instructions for the cell automaton controllers. Main WAAM issues are outlined to identify main research directions, and a test case is presented to highlight the process phase

Continuous maintenance and the future – Foundations and technological challenges

High value and long life products require continuous maintenance throughout their life cycle to achieve required performance with optimum through-life cost. This paper presents foundations and technologies required to offer the maintenance service. Component and system level degradation science, assessment and modelling along with life cycle ‘big data’ analytics are the two most important knowledge and skill base required for the continuous maintenance. Advanced computing and visualisation technologies will improve efficiency of the maintenance and reduce through-life cost of the product. Future of continuous maintenance within the Industry 4.0 context also identifies the role of IoT, standards and cyber security

The application of knowledge based engineering to design for Wire+Arc Additive Manufacture (WAAM)

Wire+Arc Additive Manufacture (WAAM) is well suited to Aerospace applications, due to its ability to produce medium to large structural parts with good structural integrity, and lower manufacturing cost/ waste material than conventional manufacturing processes. However, designers of WAAM parts need expert knowledge of WAAM to maximise the benefits, and substantial modelling effort is required to develop the digital models that are needed for design assessment and manufacturing. This paper introduces Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) as an approach to automate WAAM design assessment and manufacturing planning for aircraft structural parts. A prototype KBE tool for WAAM has been developed that can check adherence to WAAM design guidelines, perform cost estimations and automatically generate the CAD models that are required for design assessment and manufacturing planning. The paper also includes a case study design assessment for an aircraft structural part

Realization of the true 3D printing using multi directional wire and arc additive manufacturing

Robotic wire and arc based additive manufacturing has been used in fabricating of metallic parts owing to its advantages of lower capital investment, higher deposition rates, and better material properties. Although many achievements have been made, the build direction of Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) is still limited in the vertical up direction, resulting in extra supporting structure usage while fabricating metallic parts with overhanging features. Thus, the current WAAM technology should be also called 2.5D printing rather than 3D printing. In order to simplify the deposition set up and increase the flexibility of the WAAM process, it is necessary to find an alternative approach for the deposition of ‘overhangs’ in a true 3D space. This dissertation attempts to realize true 3D printing by developing a novel multi directional WAAM system using robotic Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) to additively manufacture metal components in multiple directions. Several key steps including process development, welding defect investigation and avoidance, and robot path generation are presented in this study

Production of Topology-optimised Structural Nodes Using Arc-based, Additive Manufacturing with GMAW Welding Process

The desire to generate a stress optimised structural node with maximum stability is often coupled with the goal of low manufacturing costs and an adapted and minimal use of material. The complex, three-dimensional free-form structures, which are created by means of topology-optimisation, are only partially suitable for conventional manufacturing. The wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), by means of arc welding processes, offer a cost-effective and flexible possibility for the individual production of complex, metallic components. Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) is particularly suitable to produce large-volume, load-bearing structures due to build-up rates of up to 5 kg/h. The generation of strength and stiffness adapted support structures by means of the numerical simulation method of topology-optimisation was investigated in this study to generate topology-optimised structural nodes. The resulting node is transferred into a robot path using CAD/CAM software and manufactured from the filler material G4Si1 using WAAM with the GMAW process. Based on the boundary conditions of the WAAM process, the path planning and thus the manufacturability of the topology-optimised supporting structure nodes is evaluated and verified using a sample structure made of the welding filler material G4Si1. Depending on the path planning, an improvement of the mechanical properties could be achieved, due to changes in t8/5 times

A framework for future CAM software dedicated to additive manufacturing by multi-axis deposition

International audienceDeposition processes, such as Wire & Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), have important perspectives in industry, due to their capacity to produce large near-shape parts with high productivity. Beyond process-material issues, deposition path planning is one of the major challenges to allow a wide use of these processes using multi-axis machines or robots. Early CAM software solutions dedicated to multi-axis additive manufacturing have been already commercialised. However, few elementary deposition strategies are currently available. In this article, the possibilities of multi-axis deposition and the developments needed to improve deposition path generation are highlighted through the analysis of a hollow half-sphere as a case study. Deposition strategies are experimentally tested on two different robotised polymer deposition systems. Based on the comparison of the trials, the issues related to the portability of technology from a specific machine setup to a different one are discussed. Finally, a framework for future Computer-Aided Multi-Axis Additive Manufacturing (CAMAAM) software is proposed