Post by FatDED (EU-funded research program)

🚀 Kick-off for FatDED – Rethinking WAAM for Fatigue-Critical Applications When does an imperfection become a critical defect? FatDED addresses one of the key challenges in Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM): distinguishing harmless process-induced imperfections from defects that truly compromise fatigue performance. The project officially kicked off at GEFERTEC in Berlin, bringing together leading expertise in materials science, additive manufacturing and process control. Using arc-based Directed Energy Deposition (DED), the team is tackling one of the most pressing challenges in additive manufacturing: distinguishing between harmless imperfections and true defects. Not every pore or surface irregularity compromises fatigue performance - but real defects do. And they must be eliminated. FatDED’s mission? To develop design and process-level strategies that can identify, predict, and prevent critical defects - boosting reliability and simplifying deployment of WAAM in demanding environments. Over the next 3.5 years, FatDED aims to establish new reliability standards for DED-arc processes — enabling the safe deployment of WAAM for large-scale, fatigue-critical components in demanding industrial applications. 👉 Stay tuned for updates as we push the boundaries of fatigue-resistant additive manufacturing! Gary Marquis Heikki Remes, Elise Kovanen, Pauli Lehto, Abinab Niraula, Daniel Angermayr, Karin Himmelbauer, Robin Blank, Vivien Schukar Johannes Zuckschwerdt, Ari Niemelä; Suvi Helenius, Matt Collins Soeren Stephan, Irina Boiko Ernests Jansons, Jonas Hensel Kevin Hoefer, Markus Koehler Aalto University Aalto University School of Engineering Meyer Turku Technische Universität Chemnitz voestalpine GEFERTEC Rīgas Tehniskā universitāte (Riga Technical University) #FatDED #AdditiveManufacturing #DED #WAAM #Innovation #EUfunded