Summary

  • ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) and Lincoln Electric detail a decade of work on wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM).
  • The work focuses on faster production of large metal parts using robotic arc welding-based 3D printing.
  • A key milestone: MedUSA reached up to 100 lb/hour deposition and printed a 900-lb hydropower mold.

ORNL says U.S. industry often waits months (or longer) for forged or cast parts sourced overseas, and that this slows innovation in energy, infrastructure, and security-related work. Their MDF team partnered with Lincoln Electric to push large-scale metal additive manufacturing as a domestic option—starting in 2016 with a WAAM system built around robotic welding torches and wire feed.

A 3D-printed mold, also known as a can, for a hydropower impeller is printed using ORNL’s MedUSA wire-arc additive manufacturing system.
A 3D-printed mold, also known as a can, for a hydropower impeller is printed using ORNL’s MedUSA wire-arc additive manufacturing system. The work involved powder metallurgy hot isostatic pressing, or PM-HIP, an alternative to traditional casting and forging, which offers a new approach for creating large-scale energy components. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

The partnership moved from early system build to process tuning and part evaluation, including quality checks using ORNL capabilities like the Spallation Neutron Source. ORNL notes the WAAM system was publicly demonstrated by 2017, including printing an excavator arm for a trade show. On the business side, Lincoln Electric launched Lincoln Electric Additive Solutions in 2019 as a metal 3D-printing services provider.

A standout technical piece is MedUSA, a WAAM setup at MDF with three independent robotic arms and new system controls meant to keep the arms working together without collisions. ORNL reports MedUSA reached major milestones in 2024: a 100 lb/hour (45 kg/h) deposition rate and a complex 900-lb (408 kg) mold for a hydropower impeller, including use for molds supporting powder metallurgy hot isostatic pressing (PM-HIP).

Source:

Metal manufacturing innovation: Inside MDF and Lincoln Electric’s partnership | ORNL
ORNLOak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by UT-Battelle LLC for the US Department of Energy
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