A study of the mechanical properties of objects built through weld-deposition

Abstract

Hybrid layered manufacturing, an automatic layered manufacturing process for metallic objects, combines the best features of two well-known and economical processes, namely, weld-deposition and milling. A study of the mechanical properties like hardness and tensile strength of objects made through hybrid layered manufacturing is presented in this article. It was found that the interior matrix has negligible hardness variations in all directions. The tensile strength of the matrix displays negligible variations in the horizontal plane. However, the same for the vertical direction initially was found to be slightly lower, but this could be rectified by increasing the weld-deposition current. The ability of hybrid layered manufacturing to make composite material matrix with good material bonding has also been demonstrated. These studies help in understanding and controlling the anisotropic behavior of objects built using weld-deposition–based rapid prototyping and manufacturing techniques.