WAAM3D
RoboWAAM XP
WAAM3D has launched its largest machine to date – the RoboWAAM XP – at Formnext.
The UK-based additive manufacturing company says the system has been in development since 2018, and ‘expands the size and mass capabilities’ of its family of integrated advanced manufacturing systems. The XP is built on Cranfield University’s patented Cold-Wire Gas Metal Arc (CWGMA) process that enables deposition rates of up to 15 kilograms per hour, and works natively with iron, aluminium, nickel and copper alloys.
Stewart Williams, one of the company's founders, Technical Director at WAAM3D and a Professor at Cranfield University said: “The key innovation with CWGMA is the addition of a non-energised cold wire to a conventional GMA process. Through this novel arrangement, high efficiencies can be obtained by nearly doubling the amount of material deposited for the same energy input. The addition of a non-energised wire greatly stabilises the process, making it suitable for a very broad range of materials. With the unique level of control offered by CWGMA, there are also opportunities to adapt the microstructure to attain the desired properties.”
The machine features a maximum build envelope of 2 x 2 x 2 metres, and a maximum payload of 2.1 tonnes. It uses a 6-axis robotic arm and a 2-axis part rotator with robot repeatability of +-0.05mm. It ships with MIG, MAG, and CMT capabilities provided by Fronius, and also adopts the same workflow as previous WAAM3D systems with software support from WAAMPlanner and WAAMCtrl.
Dr Jialuo Ding, CTO of WAAM3D described the launch of the RoboWAAM XP as “a pivotal moment in the industry” due to its offering of higher productivity and adherence to stringent quality standards. The machine has undergone testing for the last two years with users in the energy, space, marine, and mining, industries that can typically require large-scale parts.
Back in June, WAAM3D launched a smaller version of its flagship RoboWAAM product in the form of the MiniWAAM, which was unveiled at TCT 3Sixty.
