Study on Metal Deposit in the Fused-coating Based Additive Manufacturing

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel fused-coating based additive manufacturing (FCAM) that builds three dimensional metal parts by depositing the material in a layer by layer manner according to the CAD model. It provides a good method to build metal parts with the advantage of using cheap and easy-get material, building parts with high efficiency and without high equipment costs. To study the effect of different processing parameters, the FCAM experimental system is established. It included a molten metal generator, a fused-coating nozzle, a three-axis motion platform, an inert atmosphere protection and process control unit, a temperature and pressure measurement unit. A heat transfer model based on volume of fluid method is developed to investigate the FCAM process. The study on the influence of process parameters, such as the nozzle and substrate temperature and the speed of the substrate in forming metal parts is made. The results of the study prove that the processing parameters will significantly affect the surface finish and bonding strength of the metal parts. What's more, the temperature and speed of the substrate are the main parameters that influence the FCAM process.