Thu, 02 October, 2025
A new paper has been published detailing research into the use of a novel new technique of aluminium wire extrusion for additive manufacturing.
The paper, ‘Laser Directed Energy Deposition Additive Manufacturing using Friction Stir Channelling Extruded Wire,’ investigates a sustainable alternative route for the production of aluminium wire for use in additive manufacturing.
DED-LB/w Additive Manufacturing
Widely used in industries including aerospace, automotive and power, directed energy deposition with a laser beam and wire feedstock (DED-LB/w) is an additive manufacturing method that offers high levels of precision and material efficiency for large-scale, complex part fabrication and lightweight part production in support of fuel efficiency and sustainability.
The DED-LB/w process involves the melting of metal wires with a laser source, creating a localised melt pool to achieve layer-by-layer material deposition, while also offering precise heat control that minimises distortion to provide enhanced properties.
Materials Challenges
Despite the benefits of the process, the cost of aluminium wire can be high, which undermines the sustainability of wire-based directed energy deposition systems. For example, the cost to produce one ton of Al wire is approximately $3000 to $5000. Traditional methods of Al wire production also create significant amounts of carbon dioxide and wastewater, which has led to a need for a more economical, recyclable wire feedstock production approach for achieving the NetZero strategy in modern green manufacturing industries.
A Sustainable Solution?
The TWI invented and patented process, stationary shoulder friction stir channelling (SS-FSC) has the capability to produce metal alloy wires as part of the friction stir channelling (FSC) process. In the SS-FSC process, wire is extruded as aby-product from the manufacture of subsurface channels through severe plastic deformation (SPD).
Using SS-FSC as an alternative to conventional wire production methods should see a reduction in production costs and energy consumption, creating a resource-efficient alternative that minimises waste and raw material demand.
With fewer production steps and the ability to turn a manufacturing waste stream into a resource for additive manufacturing, the use of SS-FSC as an alternative feedstock source could support the broader transition toward sustainable additive manufacturing.
Research
This recently-published paper outlines research to test the effectiveness of SS-FSC produced wire feedstock for DED-LB/w additive manufacturing.
The research took ‘forged’ 6082 aluminium wire produced during the SS-FSC process and tested it with built-tracks using DED-LB/w. Process mapping was used to demarcate the melting states, including the stable, dripping, and incomplete melting regimes, over a wide range of laser energy densities, before metallurgy tests were conducted to reveal the evolution of the microstructure and defect formation of the deposited tracks.
The research, which was co-authored by TWI Project Leader Sam Holdsworth alongside Yajie Chu (Department of Engineering, Lancaster University / School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Institute of Technology), Xingjian Zhao and Dikai Guan (Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Southampton), Wanting Sun (Department of Engineering, Lancaster University), and Yuze Huang (Department of Engineering, Lancaster University / Laser Processing Research Laboratory, School of Engineering, The University of Manchester), indicates that aluminium wire extruded via SS-FSC exhibits significant potential for use in additive manufacturing.
You can read the paper, in full, here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1526612525010424
Please email contactus@twi.co.uk to find out more.