3D printing in steel construction with the automated Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing

3D printing in steel construction with the automated Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing The classic 3D printing of metallic components using the powder bed process has so far mainly been used in the aerospace industry or in mechanical engineering. For the production of large structural components, such as those used in steel construction, laser powder-based additive manufacturing processes are too expensive to be economically viable. Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) can offer a possibility to realize 3D printing of large steel components. This process, also known as shape welding, has become interesting for the building industry in combination with flexible robot technology and low-energy welding processes. This is not only because of extremely large design possibilities. Also digitalization and integration into computer-supported design, planning and manufacturing processes open up new possibilities for steel construction. It is also very well suited for the production of load optimized components in particular. The article describes the current and future fields of application, the characteristics of production and the load-bearing capacity of the achievable component types. In addition, current investigations are reported.