Investigating the Effects of Deposition Strategies on the Performance of Inconel 625 in Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) offers a high deposition rate and the ability to produce large-scale components, making it highly suitable for industrial applications such as aerospace and energy sectors. The choice of deposition strategy, however, is critical in achieving optimal geometrical accuracy. This study focuses on comparing unidirectional and bidirectional deposition strategies for fabricating vertical walls of Inconel 625 alloy under identical printing conditions. The primary objective was to assess the evolution of microstructure, as well as the mechanical and tribological properties of the resulting walls. Results indicated that the bidirectional strategy, which involves oscillating the torch forward and backward, mitigates one-directional grain formation and reduces primary dendritic arm spacing by approximately 9 µm. This led to an increase in average microhardness. Additionally, the bidirectional walls exhibited a lower friction coefficient (0.485) and wear rate (1.5 × 10⁻³) compared to the unidirectional walls (0.50, 1.7 × 10⁻³). These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the bidirectional approach in enhancing material properties, making it a valuable method for improving performance in WAAM-produced components.