A Motion State-based Printing Time Modeling and Printing Cost Analysis for Laser Direct Deposition Process

Abstract

Laser direct deposition (LDD) process is widely used in the manufacture of complex parts with the advantages of high-precision and high-performance, while it is facing the problems of low efficiency, high-energy consumption, and high cost. During LDD, printing time not only affects efficiency, energy, and cost but also is constrained by factors of parts—volume, process parameters, and deposition modes. Printing time modeling is quite difficult when taking cladding head motion and deposition path into consideration. In this research, the discontinuous and non-uniform motion state of cladding head was obtained by analyzing the variation of laser power, and the discontinuous deposition path was further acquired by discussing the occurrence of light powder coupling. Therefore, a motion state-based printing time model was proposed to quantify sub-time during deposition process. Subsequently, a printing time-driven printing cost model was established to reveal the correlation of efficiency, energy, and cost under different deposition modes. Orthogonal experiment and comparative experiment were carried out. Results showed that the printing time model accuracy exceeds 90%. The comparative results of different deposition modes suggested that printing time is positively related to the continuity length of deposition path, thus leading to significant differences in energy consumption and printing cost. According to the structure and sensitivity analysis of printing cost, machine and powder cost account for 40 and 36%, respectively, and machine purchase price and powder price are the most sensitive factors. This research provides a novel methodology for measuring printing time and offers a comparative assessment of deposition modes for sustainable manufacturing.