Analysis of Droplet Transfer and Arc Swing in TIG plus AC Twin-Wire Cross Arc Additive Manufacturing

Twin-wire and arc additive manufacturing (T-WAAM) has potential advantages in improving deposition efficiency and manufacturing functionally graded materials (FGMs), thus attracting much attention. However, there are few studies on the droplet transfer mode of T-WAAM. This paper analyzes the droplet transfer mode and arc swing in the TIG + AC twin-wire cross-arc additive manufacturing by in-situ observation with high-speed photography, revealing what factors influence the T-WAAM on deposition shaping the quality and what are the key mechanisms for process stability. Experiments show that with the main arc current provided by TIG 100 A and the twin-wire AC arc current 10 A, three different droplet transfer modes, namely the free transfer + free transfer, bridge transfer + free transfer, bridge transfer + bridge transfer, can be observed with the twin wires under different feeding speeds. The corresponding deposition and arc swing are quite different in quality. Through comparative analysis, it is found that the frequent extinguishment and ignition of the arc between electrode wires is the main factor for the instability in the additive manufacturing process. The bridge transfer + free transfer mode can obtain a large arc swing angle and a stable deposition, in which the cross arc has a significant stirring effect on the molten pool, and the deposition shape is well-made.

Automated summary

This paper analyses the droplet transfer mode and arc swing in the TIG + AC twin-wire cross-arc additive manufacturing. It reveals the factors influencing the quality and stability of T-WAAM deposition shaping. The experiments show that different droplet transfer modes result in different deposition qualities and the frequent extinguishment and ignition of the arc between electrode wires is the main factor for instability in the manufacturing process.