Evaluation and Optimization of a Hybrid Manufacturing Process Combining Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing with Milling for the Fabrication of Stiffened Panels

TLDR

Stiffened panels, prized for their light weight and strong load‑bearing capability in aviation, aerospace, and automotive applications, are traditionally fabricated by joining or machining, but the proposed HWMP deposits stiffeners layer‑by‑layer onto a thin plate and then mills irregular surfaces, potentially improving material utilization and efficiency without compromising surface quality. This paper proposes the hybrid WAAM‑milling process (HWMP) for fabricating stiffened panels. HWMP’s performance in surface quality, material utilization, and efficiency is systematically evaluated by varying deposition parameters (travel speed, wire‑feed rate) and milling parameters (spindle speed, tool‑feed rate), and an optimization is performed to identify the best parameter combination. In a case study, HWMP with optimized parameters increased material utilization by 57 % and efficiency by 32 % over traditional machining, making it a more environmentally friendly and sustainable method for stiffened panel fabrication.

Abstract

This paper proposes a hybrid WAAM (wire arc additive manufacturing) and milling process (HWMP), and highlights its application in the fabrication of stiffened panels that have wide applications in aviation, aerospace, and automotive industries, etc. due to their light weight and strong load-bearing capability. In contrast to existing joining or machining methods, HWMP only deposits stiffeners layer-by-layer onto an existing thin plate, followed by minor milling of the irregular surfaces, which provides the possibility to significantly improve material utilization and efficiency without any loss of surface quality. In this paper, the key performances of HWMP in terms of surface quality, material utilization and efficiency are evaluated systematically, which are the results of the comprehensive effects of the deposition parameters (e.g., travel speed, wire-feed rate) and the milling parameters (e.g., spindle speed, tool-feed rate). In order to maximize its performances, the optimization is also performed to find the best combination of the deposition and the milling parameters. The case study shows that HWMP with the optimal process parameters improves the material utilization by 57% and the efficiency by 32% compared against the traditional machining method. Thus, HWMP is believed to be a more environmental friendly and sustainable method for the fabrication of stiffened panels or other similar structures.