Authors:

Paul Kyu-Hwan Park

Date Created:

Not specified

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About Paper:

Arc welding metal 3D printing, or Wire Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), offers a cost-effective, large-scale approach for producing metal parts. While WAAM has been studied for structural components, its suitability for creating composite molds with the required dimensional accuracy, surface finish, and thermal performance remains underexplored. Addressing this gap is crucial, as traditional methods for producing large metal molds are expensive, slow, and inefficient. This research focuses on establishing and optimizing the WAAM process for fabricating composite tooling, with an emphasis on machine setup, parameter calibration, and process planning to enable reliable deposition. The work involves configuring the WAAM system, selecting and validating appropriate process parameters, and preparing for fabrication of test geometries and tooling shapes. Plans for future work include systematic testing and characterization of printed samples for dimensional accuracy, surface roughness, porosity, hardness, and thermal conductivity. Data will be collected through 3D scanning, profilometry, metallography, hardness testing, and thermal property measurements. This study is designed to lay the groundwork for comparing metal 3D printed composite tooling with conventional machined molds in terms of accuracy, surface quality, and thermal performance. Ultimately, the project aims to provide recommendations on process parameter selection and design guidelines to enable more flexible, efficient, and sustainable production of composite tooling. Keywords: Metal 3D Printing; Composite Tooling; Additive Manufacturing; Mold Fabrication

Source:

Purdue University / 2025

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No topics listed

Co-authors:

Paul Kyu-Hwan Park