Scientists at Novosibirsk State Technical University have developed a way to control the chemical composition of metal directly during the additive printing process. WAAM technology with dual wire feeding makes it possible to form gradient structures with specified properties, the university's press service told TASS.
Experimental methods were used to select conditions under which the deposited bead appears uniform externally, but consists of layers of dissimilar steels with a transition layer.
We will be able to predict the composition of the material during deposition and, by adjusting the deposition parameters, foresee and eliminate possible defects
In the future, the method can be scaled to three or even four wires simultaneously.
For heavy engineering and the energy sector, this means the production of parts with variable characteristics without welding or machining. For example, a turbine blade will receive a heat-resistant edge and a tough core in a single printing cycle. The technology also reduces dependence on imported alloys: by combining available wires, it is possible to obtain compositions with the required parameters without purchasing expensive blanks.
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