Advanced Simulation of Metal Additive Manufacturing Using Maraging Steel and Nickel Alloy

Abstract

The melting of metal powder by a laser beam is a complex physical metallurgical process and successful processing of the whole Metal Additive Manufacturing (MAM) procedure requires complex management. Therefore, a successful result is not guaranteed. The print job is designed based on the designer’s personal experience, and the possibility to verify the correctness of a job proposal would save time and money. This paper deals with demonstrations of print task simulations. Two competing software were used to predict the crash print job. The simulations of both SW solution did not correspond to the real printing result. Possible causes of simulation inaccuracies are listed. The results from actual simulations are useful as support for the print job designer, but they do not completely substitute for real production tests of parts.