Slicing strategy and process of laser direct metal deposition (DMD) of the inclined thin-walled part under open-loop control

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to improve the dimensional accuracy of inclined thin-walled parts fabricated by laser direct metal deposition (DMD) under an open-loop control system.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, a novel method of the adaptive slicing method and DMD process with feedback adjustment of deposition height has been developed to successively fabricate complex inclined thin-walled square tube elbow parts. The defocus amount was used as a variable to the matching between the deposition thickness and the adaptive slicing height.FindingsThe low relative error of dimensional accuracy between experimental and designed parts shows that the matching of the single-layer deposition thickness and the adaptive slicing height can be realized by optimizing the defocusing amount. The negative feedback of the thin-wall part height can be achieved when the defocus amount and the z-axis increment are less than deposition thickness. The improvement of dimensional accuracy of inclined thin-walled parts is also attributed to the optimized scanning strategy.Practical implicationsThe slicing method and deposition process can provide technical guidance for other additive manufacturing (AM) systems to fabricate metal thin-walled parts with high dimensional accuracy because the feedback control of deposition height can be realized only by the optimized process.Originality/valueThis study provides a novel adaptive slice method and corresponding the deposition process, and expands the slicing method of AM metal parts.