Extending High Value Components Performances with Additive Manufacturing: Application to Naval Applications

Additive Manufacturing (AM), consists of depositing material in successive layers to obtain the desired part. The parts produced by AM can thus adopt geometries inaccessible by conventional manufacturing means, for example hollow or lattice structures which considerably reduce their weight while keeping or even improving their mechanical properties. Among the many existing processes, Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) is particularly well suited to the manufacture of large metallic parts. It is characterized by a supply of heat in the form of an electric arc (produced by a welding generator) and a supply of material in the form of wire. This paper will discuss the impact of additive manufacturing to enhance the performances of high value components, based on naval application: the manufacturing of a hollow propeller blade demonstrator of 1.5 m high realized in the laboratory.