Research on GMAW based non-supporting thin-wall structure manufacturing
ISSN: 1355-2546
Article publication date: 31 December 2020
Issue publication date: 2 March 2021
Abstract
Purpose
Additive manufacturing based on arc welding is a fast and effective way to fabricate complex and irregular metal workpieces. Thin-wall metal structures are widely used in the industry. However, it is difficult to realize support-free freeform thin-wall structures. This paper aims to propose a new method of non-supporting thin-wall structure (NSTWS) manufacturing by gas metal arc welding (GMAW) with the help of a multi-degree of freedom robot arm.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses the geodesic distance on the triangular mesh to build a scalar field, and then the equidistant iso-polylines are obtained, which are used as welding paths for thin-wall structures. Focusing on the possible problems of interference and the violent variation of the printing directions, this paper proposes two types of methods to partition the model mesh and generate new printable iso-polylines on the split meshes.
Findings
It is found that irregular thin-wall models such as an elbow, a vase or a transition structure can be deposited without any support and with a good surface quality after applying the methods.
Originality/value
The experiments producing irregular models illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the methods to fabricate NSTWSs, which could provide guidance to some industrial applications.
Keywords
Citation
Liu, B., Shen, H., Deng, R., Zhou, Z., Jin, J. and Fu, J. (2021), "Research on GMAW based non-supporting thin-wall structure manufacturing", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 27 No. 2, pp. 333-345. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-05-2020-0102
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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