Fabrication of inclined thin-walled parts in multi-layer single-pass GMAW-based additive manufacturing with flat position deposition

Fabricating geometrical-feature parts using gas metal arc welding (GMAW) additive manufacturing with flat position deposition free from a turn table are proposed through deposition of inclined thin-walled components. During the fabrication process, the torch direction was always maintained perpendicular to the substrate. The definition of inclination angle was presented. Forces of a force model for a pending molten pool were analyzed. Influences of offset distance, wire feed rate, and travel speed on the inclination angle were revealed and discussed. The maximum inclination angle increases along with the travel speed and decreases along with the wire feed rate. A 104-layered cylindrical thin-walled part with geometrical features was fabricated by the proposed approach. Possible sources of fabrication error were presented. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.