Surface smoothness of welding rapid forming parts

It is now very difficult to enhance the surface smoothness by alternate deposition and milling layer by layer for high hardness or wear resistant parts manufactured by welding rapid forming technology. Therefore, the metal cored wires were innovatively taken as forming materials to improve the smoothness by optimizing process parameters. Firstly, the evaluation method for surface smoothness was created by 3D laser scanning. The effects of overlap ratio, weld bead reinforcement and path planning mode on the surface smoothness were investigated based on the above evaluation method. The results indicate that the surface smoothness can be improved by employing appropriate overlap ratio, reducing the reinforcement and depositing with orthogonal path. The improvement of surface smoothness attributes to the homogeneous magnitude and distribution of temperature field. This research is a useful aid to reduce the allowance and increase the surface accuracy for high hardness or wear resistant parts produced by welding rapid forming technology.