Variable-Rigidity Component Build Using SLM and Wire Arc AM
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing additive manufacturing technologies face challenges in efficiently producing large-sized, complex, and multi-material components with variable rigidity, as selective laser melting is costly and inefficient for large-sized components, while wire arc additive manufacturing struggles with complex structures like porous lattices.
Innovation Solution
A collaborative method combining selective laser melting and wire arc additive manufacturing, where a component structure model is divided into lightweight and solid parts, with the lightweight part created using selective laser melting and surface-treated before being completed with wire arc additive manufacturing to form a multi-material variable-rigidity component.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If selective laser melting is used to prepare metal components, then complex structures such as porous lattices can be formed with fine structures and smooth surface, but the forming efficiency is low and the cost is high
Solution Approach 1:
The component is divided into two parts: a lightweight part with complex pore structures prepared by selective laser melting, and a solid part prepared by wire arc additive manufacturing. This segmentation allows each manufacturing method to be applied where it is most effective, resolving the contradiction between precision and productivity.
2Manufacturing precision
If selective laser melting is used to prepare metal components, then complex structures such as porous lattices can be formed, but it is difficult to prepare components with large-sized structures
Solution Approach 1:
The component is segmented into a lightweight part with complex structures prepared by selective laser melting and a solid part prepared by wire arc additive manufacturing. This allows large-sized components with complex local structures to be manufactured by combining the strengths of both methods.
3Productivity
If wire arc additive manufacturing is used to prepare components, then components with larger-sized structures can be prepared with high forming efficiency and low cost, but it is difficult to form metal components with complex structures such as porous lattices
Solution Approach 1:
The component is divided into a lightweight part with complex pore structures prepared by selective laser melting and a solid part prepared by wire arc additive manufacturing. This segmentation enables wire arc additive manufacturing to handle the solid portions efficiently while selective laser melting creates the complex porous structures.
4Ease of manufacture
If wire arc additive manufacturing is used to prepare components, then low cost can be achieved, but complex structures such as porous lattices cannot be formed
Solution Approach 1:
The component is segmented into portions suitable for selective laser melting (complex porous structures) and portions suitable for wire arc additive manufacturing (solid structures). This allows the overall manufacturing cost to remain low while still achieving complex local structures where necessary.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables rapid production of complex-shaped components with reduced processing cycles and costs, leveraging the strengths of both methods to create large-sized, multi-material components with variable rigidity, enhancing additive manufacturing capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
selective laser melting is a kind of additive manufacturing technology, and it utilizes laser as a heat source and scans the metal powder material bed layer by layer according to the path planned in the 3D (Three Dimensional) model. The scanned metal powder material is melted and solidified to bond metallurgically
Implementation Method 2
wire arc additive manufacturing is an advance additive manufacturing technology, which utilizes the arc as a heat source and makes the molten wire deposit layer by layer according to the principle of cladding layer by layer
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure provides a method for preparing a multiple-material variable-rigidity component by efficient collaborative additive manufacturing, relates to the technical field of additive manufacturing. In the disclosure, the method comprises: pretreating a component structure model and dividing the component structure model into a lightweight part with complex pore structures and a solid part that needs to be manufactured rapidly; preparing the lightweight part by a selective laser melting prototyping; performing a surface treatment on the prepared lightweight part to obtain a treated lightweight part; preparing the solid part on the treated lightweight part by a wire arc additive manufacturing, to obtain a component.