Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing Process for Topologically Optimized Aeronautical Fixtures

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies in metallic materials have experienced significant growth over recent decades. Concepts such as design for additive manufacturing have gained great relevance, due to their flexibility and capacity to generate complex geometries with AM technologies. These new design paradigms make it possible to save on material costs oriented toward more sustainable and green manufacturing. On the one hand, the high deposition rates of wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) stand out among the AM technologies, but on the other hand, WAAM is not as flexible when it comes to generating complex geometries. A methodology is presented in this study for the topological optimization of an aeronautical part and its adaptation, by means of computer aided manufacturing, for WAAM manufacturing of aeronautical tooling with the objective of producing a lighter part in a more sustainable manner.