Advancing Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) for Metallic Component Manufacture: Recent Developments and Challenges

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Welding Technology, University West, 461 86 Trollhättan, Sweden
Interests: GMAW process; process control systems in GMAW; welding economy and quality in fusion welds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), also called Wire Arc Directed Energy Deposition (WA-DED), is an emerging alternative to traditional forging and casting methods for producing large metallic components. With its ability to achieve high deposition rates and utilize cost-effective feedstock, WA-DED offers an efficient solution for large-scale manufacturing. We invite researchers to contribute articles focusing on the following topics:

  • Comparisons of arc processes, in situ enhancements, and defect reduction techniques.
  • Strategies for material efficiency and advanced control systems to improve precision and mechanical performance.
  • Microstructural heterogeneity, anisotropy with build height, and tensile properties at various locations.
  • Mechanical testing under aerospace-relevant conditions.
  • Economic and lifecycle assessments of WA-DED tools and processes.
  • Insights into defect distribution and customized equipment design for WA-DED.

We welcome innovative research that advances WA-DED technologies and applications for large-scale manufacturing.

Prof. Dr. Paul Kah
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • additive manufacturing
  • process optimization
  • wire arc directed energy deposition (WA-DED)
  • wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM)
  • control systems
  • defects in WA-DED
  • microstructural heterogeneity
  • in situ enhancements
  • metal feedstocks
  • 3D Printing
  • layer-by-layer manufacturing
  • metal additive manufacturing
  • hybrid manufacturing
  • digital fabrication
  • advanced manufacturing
  • directed energy deposition (DED)
  • melt pool dynamics
  • heat affected zone (HAZ)
  • residual stresses
  • multi-material deposition
  • toolpath optimization
  • wire feeding mechanisms
  • deposition rate
  • layer geometry control
  • thermal management
  • arc stability

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

27 pages, 22605 KiB  
Article
Slicing Solutions for Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing
by Michael Sebok, Canhai Lai, Chris Masuo, Alex Walters, William Carter, Nathan Lambert, Luke Meyer, Jake Officer, Alex Roschli, Joshua Vaughan and Andrzej Nycz
J. Manuf. Mater. Process. 2025, 9(4), 112; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp9040112 - 28 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 545
Abstract
Both commercial and research applications of wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) have seen considerable growth in the additive manufacturing of metallic components. However, there remains a clear lack of a unified paradigm for toolpath generation when slicing parts for WAAM deposition. Existing toolpath [...] Read more.
Both commercial and research applications of wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) have seen considerable growth in the additive manufacturing of metallic components. However, there remains a clear lack of a unified paradigm for toolpath generation when slicing parts for WAAM deposition. Existing toolpath generation options typically lack the appropriate features to account for all complexities of the WAAM process. This manuscript explores the key slicing challenges specific to toolpaths for WAAM geometry and pairs each consideration with multiple solutions to mitigate most negative effects on completed components. These challenges must be addressed to minimize voids, prevent bead collapse, and ensure deposited components accurately approximate the desired geometry. Slicing considerations are grouped into four general categories: geometric, process, thermal, and productivity. Geometric considerations are addressed with overhang compensation, corner-sharpening, and toolpath-smoothing features. Process considerations are addressed with start point configuration and controls for the bead lengths and end points. Thermal and productivity considerations are addressed with island optimization, multi-material printing, and connected insets. Finally, tools for the post-processing of generated G-code are explored. Overall, these solutions represent a critical set of slicing features used to improve generated toolpaths and the quality of the components deposited with those toolpaths. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop