A sequential path-planning methodology for wire and arc additive manufacturing based on a water-pouring rule

Path planning has a crucial influence on the process stability and densification of wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). In this paper, a sequential path-planning method based on a water-pouring rule for WAAM is proposed to ensure the internal structural densification and also improve the path-planning response speed. The proposed path-planning method can transfer all the intersection areas of the path to the outer contour, thereby ensuring that the inner area is uniform and compact. The innovative method of sequentially generating paths decentralizes the computational cost of generating all paths at one time, improving the real-time and dynamic nature of path planning. This makes it possible to generate a compensation path in real time in a closed-loop WAAM system with higher forming accuracy. The proposed path-planning method can change the path direction of adjacent layer with only one arc extinguished in the whole process, thereby improving the forming stability and the deposition efficiency. The experiments verified the effectiveness of the proposed path-planning method. Compared with the traditional zigzag path-planning method, the proposed path-planning method performs better in terms of densification and deposition efficiency.