The GEFERTEC team is now to prove that the demanding components can also be manufactured using MIG/MAG welding with high-alloy, martensitic steel. The focus here is on plannable and operationally reliable material properties.

For the investigations, a number of factors have to be taken into account which influence each other: on the one hand the component geometry and the material with associated material properties. In addition, there are the temperature and process control as well as the post-heating treatment. Together they determine the mechanical and technological properties and the microstructure of the finished part. Numerical simulation models should make it easier to plan the possible welding distortion and the material properties.

And finally, the funded project also offers the team the opportunity to further develop the welding process in the GEFERTEC machines. The most susceptible wear part in the 3DMP process, and thus a significant disruptive factor in the machine’s performance, is the so-called current contact nozzle – the exit opening of the welding wire. The GEFERTEC team is looking for suitable new materials to extend the service life of the nozzle. They will also investigate how the buildup rate can be increased by changing important parameters.

The funding project is part of the regional support for structural change in Lusatia

More information about the initiative here. (German)We wish every success!