Limited-constraint WAAM fixture for hybrid manufacturing

This paper describes a limited-constraint alternative to the traditional over-constrained build plate clamping in metal additive manufacturing. A fixture design is presented that enables build plate thermal growth within its plane while restricting deformation perpendicular to that plane. A prototype fixture is designed, fabricated, and tested for wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). Experimental results are presented for depositing 1.2 mm diameter 5356 aluminum wire on a 5052 aluminum build plate. The build plate deformation is measured for various clamping torques and a 77.3% reduction in distortion is achieved using the limited-constraint approach with identical WAAM parameters.