Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) - NJK
Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) 1. What is WAAM? Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) builds metal parts layer by layer using an electric arc as the heat source and metal wire as the raw material . If you have ever done MIG or TIG welding, you already know the core idea: WAAM is essentially automated, controlled, repeated welding that stacks weld beads on top of each other until a 3D shape forms. It belongs to the Directed Energy Deposition (DED) family of additive manufacturing processes, and it is best suited to large, medium-complexity metal parts . 2. How does it work? Design the part in CAD (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Creo, etc.). Slice the model into layers and generate a deposition path with CAM or slicing software. A robot arm or CNC gantry moves the welding torch along the path. The arc melts the wire , depositing a bead on the base plate (substrate). After each layer, the torch rises by one layer height and repeats. The part cools between layers, controlled b...