A methodology for weld bead geometry and operating conditions determination in Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing

When manufacturing a part using Directed Energy Deposition (DED) pro-cesses such as Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), it is necessary to determine the deposition path and operating parameters (wire feed speed, torch speed, energy). While the operating parameters influence the geometry of the manufactured beads, the deposition trajectory impacts the way in which these beads are arranged to fill the target shape. The strong dependence of the bead geometry on the thermal conditions (which are difficult to accurately manage) makes the choice of adequate parameters compli-cated. The problem can be tackled in various ways, and this paper proposes a method for determining the trajectory and operating parameters from the current state of the part (simulated or measured) and manufacturing or geometric constraints. The proposed methodology is divided into 2 phases: 1- Determination of acceptable bead geometries based on geometric constraints and the current state of the part. 2 - Determination of the operating conditions required to obtain an acceptable bead, based on a phenomenological model of bead shape.