Wire arc additive manufacturing: A brief review on advancements in addressing industrial challenges incurred with processing metallic alloys

Whenever there is a need for manufacturing products with higher deposition rates (usually more than 10 kg per hour) with different alloys of primary metal materials such as titanium, nickel, aluminum, steel and other superalloys, wire arc additive manufacturing is often considered the best AM (additive manufacturing) technology from the state of art technologies around practice. This practice usually incorporates usage of wire as a feedstock material with standard tools used for arc welding. The perks associated with higher deposition rates of material, low wastage and higher equipment costs combined with structure intactness makes it an irresistible process to override traditional billeting and forging methods ranging from low to medium complex manufacturing products. Large applications can be seen in existence with the help of this technology such as manufacturing assembly line for automobile sectors, wing ribs in aerospace industry, wind tunnels in hydraulic sector. This paper discusses the usual complexities faced with managing residual stress in manufactured product, also with prime focus on improving mechanical properties as compared to traditional methods while eliminating defects such as porosity and distortions are widely discussed in detail. Finally, the prospects of post machining operations carried over product such as non-destructive testing, in-situ process and monitoring are assessed.