Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing of ER-4043 Aluminum Alloy: Effect of Tool Speed on Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Parameter Optimization

Recent technological breakthroughs have had a significant impact on wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) technology in the metal manufacturing industry. Current and tool speed are the essential factors influencing the bead quality in WAAM, and experiments were conducted to optimize these parameters. Central composite design was applied for the deposition of beads, and their responses (bead width, height, depth of penetration and surface roughness) were measured using the coordinate measuring machine and 3D profilometer. Analysis of variance was applied to check the validity of the actual and predicted models. In this research, the morphology, microstructure, microhardness and wear behavior of the aluminum alloy ER-4043 were examined. Specimens were deposited using robotic gas metal arc welding (GMAW), using a 1.2 mm wire diameter, a constant current of 250 A and varying tool speed from 7 to 11 mm/s.