The Integration of Magnetic Arc Oscillation into the Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing Workflow

The current state of the art in the Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) industry involves adjusting a robot’s kinematic programming to deflect from the centerline of the direction of travel, creating certain weaving patterns. This approach, however, can lead to shutdown conditions in certain circumstances when the direction of travel changes, stemming from errors in the robot’s kinematic system which currently cannot be predicted nor recovered from. Moving this weaving profile external to the motion kinematics of the system by deflecting the welding arc through the influence of external magnetic fields could resolve this issue, as well as provide the ability to better tailor the process to the desired final product.