A review on wire arc additive manufacturing based on cold metal transfer

ABSTRACT

Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) has grown in popularity due to the many practical uses of additive manufacturing (AM), most notably in the fabrication of large metal structures. Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) is an advanced gas metal arc welding (GMAW) technology with minimal heat input, producing clean surfaces and little spatter. This article introduces WAAM, the CMT procedure, and the CMT mechanism. It examines the mechanical properties and microstructure of this process’s metals and alloys. According to the study, WAAM-fabricated titanium, nickel, steel, and aluminium-based alloys have mechanical qualities comparable to cast or wrought material. This article describes common difficulties encountered in the WAAM, including high residual stresses, porosity, delamination, and fracture. Finally, the paper briefly discusses defect-reduction strategies and WAAM advancements. This article proposes using WAAM technology to meet industrial needs and claims that it can be a good alternative for high-quality production.

KEYWORDS:

• Wire arc additive manufacturing
• cold metal transfer
• additive manufacturing
• microstructural analysis
• dissimilar alloys
• defects

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).