Cranfield University
Cranfield · GB · publishing in AM since 2006
Pioneer of Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) for large structural components
Stuart Williams is Professor of Welding Engineering at Cranfield University and the originator of the term and systematic research programme around Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM). Beginning in 2006, his group at Cranfield demonstrated that plasma arc and GMAW-based deposition could produce metre-scale titanium and steel structural components with mechanical properties competitive with forgings, at a fraction of the buy-to-fly ratio. His 2016 paper "Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing" in Materials Science and Technology (williams-2016-waam) is the foundational reference for the process and has been cited thousands of times. Williams co-founded WAAM3D Ltd, a Cranfield spin-out supplying industrial WAAM systems, and has worked with Airbus, Boeing, and BAE Systems on qualification of WAAM structural brackets and spars. He directs the Welding Engineering and Laser Processing Centre (WELP) at Cranfield.
Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing
Williams SW, Martina F, Addison AC et al. · 2016 · Materials Science and Technology
DOILast reviewed: 2026-05-16 · Sources: 1
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