Generation of 2.5D Deposition Strategies for LMD-based Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing is a key technology of Industry 4.0. In the context of Laser Metal Deposition (LMD), the problem of automating the generation of the layer-by-layer deposition strategies is relevant because the laser path pattern and the process parameters determine the mechanical quality of the resulting part and the efficiency of the process. Many of the existing approaches rely on path planning strategies created for subtractive manufacturing. However, these techniques generate path patterns not suitable for LMD. This manuscript presents deposition strategies which are specific for LMD processes, including the laser path and the process parameters at selected control points. This manuscript considers diverse infill patterns for general polygonal regions. This manuscript also reports the implementation of a 2D region avoidance algorithm, used to reposition the laser head between regions and between layers. These transitions are important because current hardware maintains the material feeding while the laser is OFF. Our implementation is validated by the fabrication and verification of actual metallic parts using our algorithms in an LMD process. Future work is required on optimization of material savings and overall process performance.