The Gloucester IMechE committee is excited to welcome you to a presentation on Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM).

Despite its forecasted paybacks in terms of cost savings, material wastage reduction, lead time compression, supply chain simplification and even environmental performance, the Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) process is yet to see widespread industrial adoption. Arguably, the control of thermal effects, the management of residual stress, and the assurance of structural integrity are key limiting factor for those critical applications that would benefit from WAAM the most. Moreover, in terms of build rates, and for large structures, despite speeds that are substantially larger than powder-based technologies, the current limitations associated with power sources borrowed from the welding world make WAAM still an impractical choice.

This presentation will focus on how hardware and software designed from the ground up for WAAM can help overcome the aforementioned challenges. In particular, the talk will focus on solutions for tool path planning and parameters calculation; the development and integration of brand-new sensing systems; auxiliary automation systems around an ideal WAAM system; the validation of build rates up to 15kg/h; and control software that offers a fully-auditable trail for part manufacture within a smart shopfloor and the extended network of factories. Case studies from the aerospace and energy worlds will support and demonstrate the solutions covered.

We are very happy to welcome Dr Filomeno Martina, CEO and co-founder at WAAM3D Ltd, to present on the topic. WAAM3D Ltd. is a leader in large-scale metal additive manufacturing and has pioneered research and development in the field of WAAM since 2006. Earlier this year, the company launched RoboWAAM with the capability of large format 3D printing increasing the potential for embodiment of the technology across the industry.