Comparative Process Parameter Optimization For Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) of E120C-GH4 Metal Cored and ER120S-G Solid Wire

Abstract

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) method is a metal additive manufacturing method that allows the production of large and medium complexity parts layer by layer by considering the part-specific CAD model. Process parameters were optimized to achieve minimum heat input, less production time, and higher metal deposition rate and bead geometry. E120C-GH4 metal-cored seamless high-strength wire with a diameter of 1.2 mm and an ER120S-G solid wire of the same diameter were used at different wire feeding speeds with heat input (low, medium, high). Single and double layer 18 beads were deposited with each of these wires. Samples were prepared for macro section examination and macro hardness measurement processes. Samples with similar deposition volumes were compared in terms of bead geometry, microhardness, penetration depth, deposition time, and the metal deposition rate at the equal heat input. With the aid of the Taguchi method and the samples were subjected to multiple regression analyses. So, the analyses and real experiments allowed comparative experimental studies. Considering the economy and time, the result shows that metal-cored wire will be much preferable for the WAAM industry because metal-cored wire has 43% less production time and 74% higher metal deposition rate than solid wire.