Droplet-targeting laser hybrid indirect arc for additive manufacturing technology-A preliminary study

The contradiction between manufacturing accuracy and manufacturing efficiency is discussed in this paper. In order to solve this problem, a novel droplet-targeting laser hybrid indirect arc for additive manufacturing technology is proposed in which a couple of wires are melted using the alternating current with interwire indirect arc to achieve high deposition rate. On the other hand, droplets actively target the laser beam and detach from wire tip under the recoil pressure subjected to pulsed laser irradiating at desired position and with controlled mass for a precise bead forming. The process of alternative droplet growing at desired position are mathematically analyzed and then preliminary verified by experiment. By precisely controlling the wire feed speed and current frequency, the melting process at desired position and mass of wire is successfully obtained which is the fundamental for next-step for the droplet actively targeting laser.