Parameter and Deposition Strategy Analysis for WAAM Processing of AISI 410 Stainless Steel

Abstract

Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM®) is an additive manufacturing (AM) process capable of producing near net shape parts while reducing costs and thus gathering increased attention from researchers and manufacturers. Although a significant amount of work has already been published relating to the WAAM processing of stainless steels, it was mainly focused on austenitic stainless steels, with martensitic grades still lacking investigation. AISI 410 is a martensitic stainless steel that, due to its high hardness, demonstrates high wear resistance, being used in parts requiring high resistance to abrasion. Processing this material by WAAM allows for the creation of near net shape parts, leading to a reduction in machining, while at the same time allowing the creation of complex geometries which would be difficult, or outright impossible to obtain otherwise. In this work the effects of different processing parameters on WAAM processed AISI 410 steel, using Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) welding equipment, were investigated, as well as different deposition strategies for the fabrication of a test artifact using an AM software. It was demonstrated that it is possible to process AISI 410 steel by WAAM using an AM software to define deposition strategies and parameters based on the part design and previous experimental trials. The goal to deposit a complex part with high hardness and tensile strength, especially attractive properties to parts requiring high resistance to wear was achieved.