Additive Manufacturing Toolpath Correction for Melt Pool Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Additive manufacturing methods face challenges in accurately simulating the thermal behavior of building structures, leading to overheating and defects due to standardized process parameters not accounting for varying thermal capacities in thin-walled or overhanging structures, resulting in large melt pools and increased stresses.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines correction measures for process control by calculating global and local heat development, assigning correction measures to individual vectors of the tool path, and adjusting parameters such as energy beam power, pause times, and movement speed to maintain a defined melt pool size, using a database for interpolation and storage of mass integrals to reduce computational complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If standardized process parameters are used for additive manufacturing, then the manufacturing process is simple and fast, but overheating and defects occur due to not accounting for varying thermal capacities in thin-walled or overhanging structures
Solution Approach 1:
The tool path is divided into individual vectors, and correction measures are assigned to each vector based on local thermal conditions. This segmentation allows the system to apply different process parameters to different regions of the workpiece, addressing the varying thermal capacities of thin-walled or overhanging structures while maintaining overall manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by determining correction measures for individual vectors based on local thermal capacity calculations. The system calculates thermal capacity for each vector's target position and applies specific correction measures (such as adjusting energy beam power, pause times, or movement speed) only where needed, rather than uniformly across the entire workpiece.
2Reliability
If process parameters are adjusted to account for local thermal behavior, then overheating and defects are reduced, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations of thermal capacity for each vector's target position before executing the additive manufacturing process. By pre-determining correction measures based on the geometric model and planned tool path, the system avoids complex real-time thermal simulations during manufacturing, reducing computational complexity while ensuring quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the geometric model and tool path information already available in the additive manufacturing process to self-determine the thermal capacity and required correction measures. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external thermal simulations or additional sensing systems, maintaining simplicity while improving quality.
3Manufacturing precision
If correction measures are applied to individual vectors, then melt pool size is controlled and defects are minimized, but the process control becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts process parameters for each vector based on calculated thermal capacity. Correction measures such as energy beam power, pause times between irradiation, and movement speed are adaptively modified for individual vectors, allowing precise melt pool control while using simple adjustment rules that do not require complex control algorithms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces overheating, minimizes defects, and improves the quality of manufactured components by allowing for real-time adjustment of process parameters based on the thermal behavior of the building structure, thereby reducing stresses and strains.
Implementation Method 1
the energy beam (17) is calculated, the local heat development in the vicinity of the heat input by the energy beam (17) is determined
Implementation Method 2
a global heat development in already manufactured layers (25) of the building structure (19) taking account of a building history of the building structure (19) and the heat input by an energy beam (17) is calculated
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments include a method for additive manufacturing of a building structure on using a simulation comprising: accessing a data set for the building structure describing the building structure in layers; calculating a global heat development in previous layers based a building history and heat input by an energy beam; determining a local heat development in a vicinity of the heat input; determining the process control based on the global and the local heat development; loading correction measures from a database; and assigning the correction measures locally to individual vectors of a tool path of the energy beam. At least one mass integral is calculated for individual vectors of the tool path. The measures are determined on the basis of a comparison of the calculated mass integral with mass integrals stored in the database.