3D-printed columns with exceptional geometry

Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) is a welding process used to build up three-dimensional structures in steel. Like other Additive Manufacturing technologies, it allows for geometrically-exceptional structures to be fabricated which are otherwise unfeasible or very expensive to manufacture using traditional methods. This paper presents an integrated design approach to the use of WAAM in the context of large-scaled applications, focusing on columns with exceptional geometric complexity. It combines material behaviour and process parameter research, with the aim of providing a digital tool to design and print structures using WAAM. To achieve the desired geometries, necessary welding parameters are stored and applied to a rudimentary digital twin model. This is complimented by multiple process-control checks, which are implemented during the printing process to ensure that an object is generated as planned. Finally, the structures are manufactured and are subjected to a critical evaluation in order to identify the possible future potential. The challenge of combining geometric complexity with manufacturing for large scale represents a next step in the integration of WAAM in steel constructions.