Journal of Applied Science and Engineering

Published by Tamkang University Press

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Research On Twin Tungsten Electrode – Wire Electrode Indirect Arc Additive Manufacturing Process

 2026

 Volume 34

Yanli Zhu1 , Haibo Liu1, Peimin Li1, Dianguo Ma1, Junyu Zhang1, Guangsheng Lv1, Hongjie Fang1, Qingyun Yang1, and Lincai Zhang1

1School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, 277160, China

Received: April 03, 2026
Accepted: June 04, 2026
Publication Date: August 19, 2026

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Integral frame of experimental setup 

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The low forming efficiency and high heat accumulation existed in TIG additive manufacturing process hinder its further development and application. A novel twin tungsten electrode– wire electrode indirect arc (TTWIA) additive manufacturing has great potential to solve the above problem due to its high wire deposition rate and lower heat input. Different from TIG, the substrate heat input of TTWIA excluded the heat production in the electrode region and the resistive heating, and the wire melting heat of TTWIA was predominantly composed of the heat production in the electrode region. Consequently, the molten pool temperature of TTWIA was relatively lower, and the wire deposition rate of TTWIA was more than 2.75 times higher than that of conventional TIG under the identical experimental conditions. Moreover, the surface roughness and material utilization rate of the component fabricated by TTWIA could reach 1.21 mm and 83.74%, respectively. Additionally, the top and bottom regions of the component fabricated by TTWIA featured coarse columnar grains, while the middle region showed fine equiaxed grains. Furthermore, the tensile strength and elongation of the component approached those of original wire, and possessed significant anisotropy

Keywords: Wire and arc additive manufacturing, TTWIA, Wire deposition rate, Arc shape, Droplet transfer, Forming

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