Quick Summary
• I’m a big fan of wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), in large part because it’s not that much of a departure from how arc welding already works. It’s a technology...
Additional Context
I’m a big fan of wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), in large part because it’s not that much of a departure from how arc welding already works. It’s a technology that’s disruptive enough to address certain challenges involved in revitalizing the welding industries in nations like the US—above all, the workforce development challenge—without being disruptive to the point that it couldn’t be incorporated into existing manufacturing supply chains.
About a year ago, the UK-based company DEEP Manufacturing, a division of an ocean engineering firm with the same name, launched the HexBot, a six-armed WAAM system for ultra-large-format parts: up to 3.2 meters in height and 6.2 meters in diameter. At the time of launch, the system had already been used for applications including offshore wind