ABOUT
Additive manufacturing (AM) has opened up a totally new realm of design possibilities. Nevertheless, due to low productivity, most AM techniques are not economically feasible for the production of large structures. Unlike any other metal AM technology, Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) can produce fully dense metallic structures with virtually no porosity.
Large engineering structures like turbines, metallic bridges or industrial machinery are still manufactured by traditional processes such as forging, casting, welding, bolting or by machining them from solid blocks. These processes do not allow local control of material properties to achieve a specific function like anti-corrosion or hardness. To meet the functional specifications, engineers must operate within a limited range of design options, with high “buy-to-fly” ratios and long lead times.
In Grade2XL, we have demonstrated the potential of multi-material wire+arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) for large scale structures. The high printing rate of WAAM, combined with the ability to control material properties down to the nanoscale, has allowed us to build strong and durable engineering structures. Grade2XL has delivered multi-material products of superior quality and performance, cut lead times up to 94% and enabled cost savings in the range of billions of euros for the maritime and energy industry, as well as for industrial machinery.
AMBITION
Grade2XL has delivered a multi-material, high throughput WAAM system, removing the technological barriers that hinder the application of WAAM, on three levels:
Material level: functionally graded (multi)materials have been achieved by controlling the two main factors governing the material properties: the chemical composition and the thermal cycle.
Process level: high WAAM productivity have been achieved using multiple wire deposition systems. The productivity has increased from typically 2 kg/h to 5 kg/h, and even double when a dual robot configuration was used. In-line contactless inspection has ensured first time right quality and facilitated qualification.
Life cycle or system level: challenging applications have demonstrated the lifecycle benefits of WAAM multi-material devices and in-line process control.
