Development of Process Chains, Integrating Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing, Multi-Axis Machining and Laser Hardening, for Low Series Parts Manufacturing

The manufacturing of parts usually requires a number of processing/machining steps. Especially for low series part manufacturing, the sequence planning of the various processes, within the process chain is a challenging task and is worth to study in detail. In this paper, the development of two possible process chains are described. First, a process chain for the manufacturing of (single piece) parts based on Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), followed by machining, is presented. It is shown that the quality of the WAAM part (as deposited) influences the milling process and vice versa. A second discussed process chain, focusing on the manufacturing of prototype parts, with hardened features, involves machining and selective laser hardening, both implemented on a single multi-axis machining center.