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WAAM (Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing)

industrial welding robot: but printing instead of welding. Ti, steel, Al: parts up to 10 m, kg-per-hour throughput.

WAAM (Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing) is a DED variant: welding wire feedstock + electric arc or plasma source melts the material and deposits it layer by layer. Not powder bed: wire feed on a robot arm or gantry.

WAAM is the fastest metal AM process: kg-per-hour throughput (vs g-per-hour DMLS). Ideal for large parts (>1 m), low-cost wire material (€20/kg vs powder €100/kg). Trade-off: rough surface, requires CNC post-machining.

Engineer, author of The Big Book of 3D Printing and additive manufacturing expert