Abstract
Hybrid Metal Extrusion and Bonding Additive Manufacturing (HYB-AM) is a new solid-state process for the production of 3D metal structures. In HYB-AM, the wire feedstock is continuously processed through an extruder and deposited in a stringer-by-stringer manner to form layers and eventually a near net-shape component. In this work, the layer bonding of AA6082 samples produced by this process has been investigated by means of tensile testing, hardness measurements and microscope analyses. Furthermore, a novel method for the fabrication of miniature tensile specimens for assessing the bond strength across the layers is presented and applied. The test results reveal that the ultimate tensile strength is approaching that of the substrate material of the same alloy, yet with a somewhat lower elongation prior to fracture. Microscope analyses show that the bonded interfaces are fully dense; however, the fracture surfaces reveal regions of kissing-bonds and lack of bonding. Still, these preliminary investigations indicate that the HYB-AM process, upon further optimization, has the potential of processing high quality aluminum alloy components.
Highlights
Over the past years, additive manufacturing (AM) of metals has received massive research interest following its gradual adoption by industry
The ultrasound technique has been used for joining of wire feedstock material (Deshpande and Hsu, 2018). Another solid-state process used for AM purposes is friction stir welding (FSW), which has been demonstrated for joining of stacked metal plates (Palanivel et al, 2015)
Note that the metal flow and the bonding mechanisms in the Hybrid Metal Extrusion and Bonding Additive Manufacturing (HYB-AM) process bear a close resemblance to those observed in longitudinal seam welds of porthole-die extrusions
Summary
Additive manufacturing (AM) of metals has received massive research interest following its gradual adoption by industry. A variety of AM processes exists, each with its individual characteristics when it comes to parameters like feedstock materials, part complexity, deposition rates, form of feedstock material (powder, wire, sheet), source of fusion (e.g. electron beam, laser, ultrasound) or state of fusion (solid-state, melted-state) (ASTM, 2015) The latter parameter – state of fusion – is of particular interest regarding processing of aluminium alloys. The ultrasound technique has been used for joining of wire feedstock material (Deshpande and Hsu, 2018) Another solid-state process used for AM purposes is friction stir welding (FSW), which has been demonstrated for joining of stacked metal plates (Palanivel et al, 2015).
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