On profiling power consumption and the influence of process parameters on electrical demand in wire arc additive manufacturing

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1-2026

Abstract

Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) has gained prominence in the fabrication of large-scale metallic components due to its high deposition rates and operational flexibility. Nevertheless, the process is characterized by substantial energy consumption, raising concerns regarding its sustainability and, more specifically, its resource efficiency. In this study, experiments were conducted using a FANUC R-1000iA industrial robot integrated with a Lincoln PowerWave R450 welder, with subsystem-level power monitored by Fluke 1738 energy loggers. A phase-resolved energy monitoring methodology was employed to differentiate energy consumption across discrete operational states, including startup, standby, motion-only, active welding, and shutdown. A system-level efficiency metric was developed, revealing that only approximately 62% of the energy consumed during the welding phase contributed to productive deposition, with the remaining 38% attributed to non-productive overhead. Furthermore, a parametric analysis of the process inputs indicated that voltage exerted the most significant influence on welder power demand, followed by wire feed speed (WFS), while travel speed (TS) primarily altered cumulative energy input through variations in arc-on time. The phase-specific energy profiling presented in this work provides actionable insights for improving resource utilization and offers a valuable foundation for parameter-driven optimization, contributing to the ongoing development of energy-aware and resource-efficient manufacturing practices.

Publication Title

Manufacturing Letters

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