Development of a repair strategy for a thin aerospace component with dot-by-dot deposition approach
Gianni CAMPATELLI, Gustavo H.S.F.L. CARVALHO, Paolo C. PRIARONE
Abstract. This study presents a repair strategy for an aerospace component manufactured from a 2000-series aluminium alloy. Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) with a dot-by-dot deposition approach was applied to mitigate the heat input and minimise distortion, enabling the reconstruction of thin-walled features with satisfactory surface finish and accuracy. The four-step process comprises the removal of damaged material, the reference geometry definition, the new material deposition, and the finish machining. First, the research focused on determining the most effective surface preparation methods and on optimising deposition parameters and strategies to minimise the occurrence of porosity, excessive melting, and humping during the repair of thin ribs, which have been identified as geometrically-critical features. Second, a preliminary environmental assessment was conducted to evaluate the carbon footprint associated with the proposed repair solution.
Keywords
Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), Repair, Environmental Impact
Published online 9/10/2025, 8 pages
Copyright © 2025 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Gianni CAMPATELLI, Gustavo H.S.F.L. CARVALHO, Paolo C. PRIARONE, Development of a repair strategy for a thin aerospace component with dot-by-dot deposition approach, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 57, pp 639-646, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903735-75
The article was published as article 75 of the book Italian Manufacturing Association Conference
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
References
[1] N. Sandeep and R. Suresh, A Study of the Circular Manufacturing System: Issues and Prospects, Journal of Systems Science and Information 12 (2024) 790–803. https://doi.org/10.21078/JSSI-2024-0088
[2] N. A. Aziz, N. A. A. Adnan, D. A. Wahab, and A. H. Azman, Component design optimisation based on artificial intelligence in support of additive manufacturing repair and restoration: Current status and future outlook for remanufacturing, J. Clean. Prod. 296 (2021) 126401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro. 2021.126401
[3] H. Liao, C. Li, Y. Nie, J. Tan, and K. Liu, Environmental efficiency assessment for remanufacture of end of life machine and multi-objective optimization under carbon trading mechanism, J. Clean. Prod. 308 (2021) 127168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.127168
[4] M. Sharma, S. Joshi, M. Prasad, and S. Bartwal, Overcoming barriers to circular economy implementation in the oil & gas industry: Environmental and social implications, J. Clean. Prod. 391 (2023) 136133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136133
[5] M. Liu, Y. Cai, C. Duan, and G. Li, Key techniques in parts repair and remanufacturing based on laser cladding: A review, J. Manuf. Process. 132 (2024) 994–1014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmapro. 2024.11.039
[6] P. C. Priarone, G. Campatelli, A. R. Catalano, and F. Baffa, Life-cycle energy and carbon saving potential of Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing for the repair of mold inserts, CIRP J. Manuf. Sci. Technol. 35 (2021) 943–958. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cirpj.2021.10.007
[7] M. Leino, J. Pekkarinen, and R. Soukka, The role of laser additive manufacturing methods of metals in repair, refurbishment and remanufacturing – Enabling circular economy, Phys. Procedia 83 (2016) 752–760. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phpro.2016.08.077
[8] M. Vishnukumar, R. Pramod, and A. Rajesh Kannan, Wire arc additive manufacturing for repairing aluminium structures in marine applications, Mater. Lett. 299 (2021) 130112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet. 2021.130112
[9] X. Li, Q. Han, and G. Zhang, Large-size sprocket repairing based on robotic GMAW additive manufacturing, Welding in the World 65 (2021) 793–805. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-021-01080-9
[10] J. Obiko et al., A brief review on industrial remanufacturing of structural and functional components: Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing Technique, Engineering Solid Mechanics 12 (2024) 363–386. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.esm.2024.5.004
[11] S. Ren et al., Comparative study of additive manufacturing thin-walled component with Al–Mg-Sc-Zr alloy using different arc modes, J. Mater. Res. Technol. 35 (2025) 5665–5674. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.jmrt. 2025.02.053
[12] R. C. Reis, S. Kokare, J. P. Oliveira, J. C. O. Matias, and R. Godina, Life cycle assessment of metal products: A comparison between wire arc additive manufacturing and CNC milling, Advances in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering 6 (2023) 100117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aime.2023.100117
[13] J. Wurst, T. Steinhoff, I. Mozgova, T. Hassel, and R. Lachmayer, Aspects of a Sustainability Focused Comparison of the Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) and the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) Process, In: Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies 338 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9205-6_9
[14] M. Rauch, J.-Y. Hascoet, and V. Querard, A multiaxis tool path generation approach for thin wall structures made with WAAM, J. Manuf. Mater. Process. 5 (2021) 128. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp5040128
[15] A. R. Catalano, V. Tebaldo, P. C. Priarone, L. Settineri, and M. G. Faga, CMT deposition of stainless steel: effects of process parameters on energy demand and microstructure, Progress in Additive Manufacturing (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40964-025-01022-7
[16] F. S. Gobber, P. C. Priarone, A. Pennacchio, and M. Actis Grande, Effect of inert gas pressure on the properties and carbon footprint of UNS S32760 powders made from waste materials by gas atomization, J. Mater. Res. Technol. 33 (2024) 8814–8828. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2024.11.195

