This article presents the results of experimental studies on the dynamic and static strength of commercial aluminum alloy 5056 manufactured by wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). The main objective is to evaluate the utilization potential of this technology for manufacturing parts for operation under shock loads. The dynamic tensile strength of the material was investigated with a modified Kolsky method, implemented by a split Hopkinson pressure bar. A comparative analysis of the strength characteristics of materials manufactured by WAAM and conventional cold-rolling methods was carried out using a structurally temporal approach with the incubation time criterion. The results showed that the aluminum alloy obtained by WAAM demonstrates comparable strength levels to that of cold-rolled material. The findings suggest that WAAM can be a competitive alternative for producing high-strength aluminum alloys for operation under shock loads.

Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) has emerged as a promising additive manufacturing technique due to its high deposition rate and low material cost. WAAM is increasingly adopted in various industries for the production of large-scale metal components, yet optimizing productivity without sacrificing mechanical integrity remains a critical challenge, particularly for low-carbon steels. This study systematically investigates the influence of key WAAM parameters—welding current (100–350 A) and travel speed (5–30 mm/s) on the deposition stability, microstructure, and mechanical properties of thin walls made of low-carbon Fe–0.09 C–1.10 Cr–1.47 Mn–0.59 Si–0.56 Mo–0.11 Ni–0.23 V steel. A stable processing window for defect-free wall fabrication was established for currents of 100–250 A, while higher currents of 300–350 A resulted in melt pool instability and geometrical distortions due to excessive heat input. Microstructural characterization revealed a dual-phase structure consisting of allotriomorphic ferrite (ALF) and acicular ferrite (AF) in all samples. The microstructural evolution was critically governed by variations in the cooling time in the critical temperature range of 800 °C to 500 °C (t_8/5) within the thermal cycles, a direct consequence of the heat input quantified through volumetric energy density. Low heat input at 100 A, 5 mm/s promoted a microstructure with minimal ALF fraction of ~10%, whereas high heat input at 350 A, 30 mm/s induced significant ferrite recrystallization and coarsening, increasing ALF fraction to ~55%. These microstructural changes directly affected mechanical properties: YS/UTS decreased from 512 MPa/668 MPa to 401 MPa/602 MPa, respectively. Concurrently, the deposition rate increased substantially from ~1.6 kg/h to ~6.3 kg/h. The results demonstrate a critical trade-off between productivity and mechanical performance, providing a practical framework for parameter selection in WAAM-fabricated low-carbon steel components.

BACKGROUND: Additive manufacturing involves the creation of three-dimensional objects with layer-by-layer application of additive material. There are many additive manufacturing technologies, each differing in consumables, manufacturing speed, surface quality of the resulting sample, power source, etc. One of these is the arc-directed energy deposition technology. Arc-directed energy deposition is an additive manufacturing technology that uses electric arc energy as a heat source to melt additive material. It is widely used in contemporary mechanical engineering due to its high productivity and wide range of materials, especially in the manufacturing of special equipment and components of complex shapes, where conventional techniques are not effective enough. AIM: This work aimed to design, manufacture, and test an arc torch Interface for an industrial robotic arm flange using arc-directed energy deposition. METHODS: We used welding wire made of AlMg5 alloy and high-purity argon as a shielding gas. For manufacturing, we used a process system based on a Fanuc M-710iC robot arm and a Fronius TPS500i welding power source with a cold metal transfer capability. Experiments were conducted to select manufacturing conditions and strategies to ensure high quality of the test piece and minimize defects. The manufactured pieces underwent metallography and mechanical tests. RESULTS: A range of standard manufacturing conditions has been selected. The chosen manufacturing strategy allowed to reduce anisotropy and avoid incomplete fusion. Mechanical tests showed that the properties of the deposited material exceed the requirements of GOST 17232-99. The study allowed to design, manufacture, and assemble an interface that meets the specified rigidity and dimensional criteria. CONCLUSION: The study showed the effectiveness of manufacturing arc torch interfaces for robotic arm flanges using arc-directed energy deposition. The developed method allows to manufacture complex shape products with the required mechanical properties, which corroborates the potential of arc-directed energy deposition in mechanical engineering.

BACKGROUND: Today, aluminum alloys are applied in many industries, including aerospace, shipbuilding, chemical, mechanical engineering, etc. Wire and arc manufacturing used to produce aluminum alloy products saves much time and cost. A big problem related to additive technologies is the anisotropy of properties. Tensile properties are usually higher along the deposition path (X axis) than the manufacturing path (Z axis). One way to reduce the anisotropy is to use alternative growth strategies. This study aims to establish the dependence of material properties on the layer deposition strategy. AIM: The article investigates the effect of the layer deposition technique on production, structure and properties of thick-walled elements during wire and arc additive manufacturing from aluminum alloy ER5356. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this purpose, samples were manufactured with the following deposition techniques: linear oscillations normal to the manufacturing path; linear oscillations at a 45-degree angle to the manufacturing path; elliptical oscillations along the manufacturing path, and a zigzag normal to the manufacturing path. The article explores the structure and mechanical properties of samples made by wire and arc additive manufacturing with different filling techniques. RESULTS: For developing a strategy with linear oscillations at a 45-degree angle to the manufacturing path (Strategy 2) and elliptical oscillations along the manufacturing path (Strategy 3), there were unstable areas at the start/end points of the process. The lateral surface quality of samples 2, 3 and 4 is the same; whereas sample 1 has more pronounced ripples. The least anisotropy of 4% was achieved using the first strategy. For the other three strategies, this value varied from 10.2 to 14.2%. Porosity of the samples for all four strategies did not exceed 1% of the cross-sectional area. Deteriorated mechanical properties along the Z axis are associated with brittle phases at the layer boundaries (strategies 2 and 3) and the incomplete fusion of layers (strategy 4). CONCLUSIONS: The results show that a stable structure is produced only by techniques with linear oscillations normal to the manufacturing path and with a zigzag motion. In the other two cases, unstable areas at the edges of the sample are observed. Moreover, the quality of the side surface is similar in all four samples. In addition, it is worth noting that a required level of mechanical properties with low anisotropy was achieved only with the strategy providing for linear oscillations normal to the manufacturing path.