Numerical Simulation of the Thermal Behavior during Laser Metal Deposition Shaping Technology

Abstract

Laser Metal Deposition Shaping (LMDS) is an emerging manufacturing technique that ensures significant reduction of process time between initial design and final components. The fabrication of fully dense parts with appropriate properties using the LMDS process requires an in-depth understanding of the entire thermal behavior of the process. In this paper, the thermal behavior during LMDS was studied, both numerically and experimentally. Temperature distribution and gradient in the fabricated part were obtained by finite element method (FEM) simulation. The numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental observations. The numerical method contributes to the comprehension and control of the thermal behavior, and may be used to optimize process parameters and predict the thermal response of LMDS fabricated components.