Project Info

Large Scale Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing of Structural Metals

Jonah Klemm-Toole
jklemmto@mines.edu

Project Goals and Description:

Powder bed fusion additive manufacturing processes are limited by small build volumes and low deposition rates. Wire arc additive manufacturing, which is essentially automated gas metal arc welding (GMAW), can provide the larger build volumes and deposition rates needed to manufacture large structural components for a wide range of applications. The goal of this project is to develop a methodology to use open-source software to produce motion control commands for a collaborative robot (cobot) controlled GMAW system. The interested student will be able to explore limits of the cobot system and capabilities to produce highly complex geometries.

More Information:

Grand Challenge: Not applicable.
Related work on the use of wire arc additive manufacturing can be found here: https://www.imts.com/show/newsletter/insider/article-details.cfm?articleid=1196&start=1&cat=

Primary Contacts:

Jonah Klemm-Toole

Student Preparation

Qualifications

The student should be interested in welding or additive manufacturing. Experience with at least one of the following areas would be helpful: gas metal arc welding (GMAW), metallographic preparation, mechanical testing, finite element modeling or other computational simulations.

TIME COMMITMENT (HRS/WK)

4-5

SKILLS/TECHNIQUES GAINED

Depending on interest, the student can gain experience in a broad range of very useful skills for graduate school or industry. The student can work with a graduate student on wire-arc AM process development, component design for wire arc additive manufacturing, metallographic preparation, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), state-of-the-art multi-physics welding simulations, X-ray computed tomography (XCT), and mechanical testing. The student will be given flexibility to work on areas of interest.

MENTORING PLAN

The student will regularly meet with a graduate student in the project. Additionally, the student will participate in weekly meetings with graduate students and professors. Realistic goals will be set at the beginning of the project, and they will be continuously updated as needed. The frequent interaction with professors and graduate students will ensure all resources are being provided to ensure the student gets the most out of the project.

PREFERRED STUDENT STATUS

Sophomore
Junior
Senior
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