Developing Electric-Arc Control Electronics for Micro Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing (µ-WAAM)

11/28/2024

Micro Wire Arc and Additive Manufacturing (µ-WAAM) has gained popularity due to the possibility of producing complex and high-precision components. Nevertheless, this process can be improved if the electric-arc current and voltage fluctuations can be prevented. The primary objective of this work is to implement an effective controller to stabilize the electric-arc and integrate it into a prototype metal 3D printing machine. Improving electric-arc stabilization will boost the efficiency of µ-WAAM. A circuit was created, simulated, and tested to achieve such stability, comprising both digital and analog electronics. The analog circuit controls the output and, therefore, the current and voltage of the electric-arc. A digital processor samples the electric-arc voltage and current and implements an FIR filter, a PI controller, and an algorithm to dynamically adjust the analog circuit output and control the electric-arc. Results were gathered while using this novel controller integrated within a real µ-WAAM pilot installation. This research concludes that it is possible to create an electric-arc controller for µ-WAAM, contributing to the improvement of this technology and providing relevant discoveries to engineers and researchers involved in development of this process.

Authors in the community:

• 

  M

  Miguel Ramos Fernandes

  ist193790

Supervisors of this institution:

• 

  L

  Luís Filipe Soldado Granadeiro Rosado

  ist156024

electrical-engineering-electronic-engineering-information-engineering - Electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering

eng - English

Instituto Superior Técnico