Evaluation of the Thermal Processes and Simulation Methods for Additive Manufacturing Based on the Geometry Voxel Representation

Abstract

Currently, the technological and hardware base additive production technologies are actively developing. The emergence of new developments in the field of materials science and their possibilities for the creation of products using layer-by-layer method promotes the development of innovative solutions that increase the efficiency of complex technical parts and improves their quality. This paper describes simulation methods based on the Model Voxel Representation part discretization allowing evaluating thermal processes during 3D printing process. The simulation model was extended taking into consideration the following criteria: heat conduction coefficient as a constant; temperature in the center of the elementary volume equals to the temperature at the volume border; temperature of the powder surrounding the item taken as a constant. It was determined that the convergence is affected by numerous factors: temperature in the machine chamber, material properties, heat exchange and the processes running into the chamber of the certain machines.