Three-dimensional welding is investigated as a rapid prototyping technique for the production
of real Inetallic parts using gas metal arc welding principles. A high speed machine vision
system is used to study the correlation between droplet transfer parameters and resultant weld
penetration characteristics. Experimental work is conducted to determine how droplet transfer
frequency, droplet size, and number of passes affect the geometrical and Inetallurgical properties
ofthe weld penetration. A finite element analysis is performed in order to study what influence
additional layering has on the cooling characteristics and resultant penetration profile.Mechanical Engineerin
