Review of regulation means in wire arc additive manufacturing of aluminum alloy

Aluminum alloy possesses extensive applications, and wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) has emerged as a rapid method for producing large structural parts, leading to significant advancements in aluminum alloy WAAM technology. However, the utilization of WAAM for manufacturing aluminum alloy parts often results in various defects, hampering the attainment of the desired forming quality for practical applications. Consequently, diverse strategies are frequently employed to regulate and control both the forming process and microstructure, and properties of aluminum alloy produced via WAAM. A comprehensive review of global research conducted over the past decade on WAAM of aluminum alloy was conducted, involving the number of high-level scholarly publications, citation frequency, and engineering applications. The primary issues encountered in aluminum alloy WAAM, along with their underlying formation mechanisms, were described. Furthermore, the review was conducted from two perspectives: Single regulation means and compound regulation means. The advantages and limitations of each regulation means were emphasized, and the research directions that need to be broken through in the future were prospectively discussed. Highlights: (1) The advantages and disadvantages of each single regulation means were summarized. (2) The advantages and limitations of hybrid WAAM were described.