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Controlling torch height and deposition height in robotic wire and arc additive manufacturing on uneven substrate

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Abstract

Wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) shows a great application potential to manufacture large-size metal components rapidly. However, the research on WAAM to build structural parts on uneven substrates in some practical engineering applications is still a challenging issue. Controlling torch height and deposition height is the major barrier that limits the high level of automatic manufacturing of parts directly on uneven substrates. This study proposes a cooperative sensing and control strategy to achieve the process stability and deposition height control in robotic pulsed gas tungsten arc additive manufacturing (P-GTA AM) on an uneven substrate. The feedforward and feedback heights during the deposition process are monitored by a passive vision sensor. A feedforward controller and a feedback controller are designed to adjust the GTA torch height and the wire feed speed in real time, respectively. A thin-wall part was fabricated on a V-type substrate. The results demonstrate that the developed cooperative sensing and control strategy can ensure the process stability and realize the deposition height control in robotic P-GTA AM.

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Funding

This work was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China, no. 51975491 and no. 62173280; Sichuan Science and Technology Program, no. 2023NSFSC1956; and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, no. 2682023ZTPY023.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, 111, Section 1 North Second Ring Road, Chengdu, 610031, China

    Menghan Shi & Jun Xiong

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  1. Menghan Shi
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  2. Jun Xiong
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Correspondence to Jun Xiong.

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Shi, M., Xiong, J. Controlling torch height and deposition height in robotic wire and arc additive manufacturing on uneven substrate. Weld World 68, 765–779 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-023-01633-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-023-01633-0

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