A4M
New Publication: Process Control for Plasma Metal Deposition Enhances Industrial Viability
Plasma Metal Deposition (PMD) is becoming increasingly important in industrial additive manufacturing. As part of the Ad‑Proc‑Add‑2 project, supervised by ecoplus and funded by the FFG, researchers at the IFT collaborated with the company SBI to investigate how PMD processes can be stabilized without complex external sensor systems. The results were presented in the publication by Maier et al. (2025).
The study presents a simple yet effective control strategy: “This paper presents a method by which these deviations can be compensated for through automatic adjustment of the wire feed rate.” (translated from English)
It further states: “Experimental results show that the proposed layer height control significantly improves process stability and brings PMD technology one step closer to the goal of additive manufacturing based on the ‘First Time Right’ principle.” (translated from English)
Why this is relevant for Additive for Mobility (A4M)
- First-Time-Right for Large Components: Consistent layer heights reduce scrap and rework for structural and repair components.
- Sensor-Based, Data-Driven Control: The method utilizes voltage measurements from the welding power source and enables rapid corrections without complex path changes.
- Easy Implementation: The concept runs on an edge device with a robot interface; extensive hardware modifications are not necessary.
- Scalability: Dynamic wire feed is a practical lever for making PMD processes more reliable in OEM environments.
The approaches developed as part of Ad-Proc-Add-2 are currently being integrated into the welding power sources distributed by SBI—a successful example of the transfer of research results into industrial practice. We thank SBI (especially Matthias Inhauser and Johannes Niedermayer) as well as ecoplus (Benjamin Losert) for their close collaboration and support.
Further Information
The publication by Maier et al. has appeared in Procedia CIRP (Volume 134, 2025) and documents the experimental investigations and the implemented control concept in detail.
The publication can be accessed here: Link
We will continue to apply these findings in A4M, particularly with regard to robust process chains, data-driven quality strategies, and the industrial scaling of hybrid manufacturing processes. Further updates will follow on our project page.