[taildragger]

There is a relatively new process of which I can't remember the proper name. It is essentially a CNC machine if you will with a welding rod instead of a cutter and builds the part as you go. So you could make a crankshaft and it would be a total weldup and only some finish machine is needed. Apparently they are using it for major fuselage bulkheads in some of our fighter aircraft.

The interesting twist is you could weld dissimilar metals and apparently it works without de-laminating of the different alloys...

[null and void]

Hmmmmmm. A clever operator could adjust the materials on the fly. Make the working surface hard, and the backing material tough, for example.

[tacticalogic]

I’ve seen a process similar to what you describe used to build up worn crankshaft journals. They were re-ground afterward. This was back in the ‘70s.