A point field driven approach to process metrics based on laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing models and in situ process monitoring

The widespread adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) in different industries has accelerated the need for quality control of these AM parts. Some of the complex and labor-intensive challenges associated with qualification and certification of AM parts are addressed by modeling and monitoring process conditions. Quantifying melt-track process conditions remains a significant computational challenge due to the large-scale differential between melt pool and part volumes. This work explores a novel point field (PF) driven AM model-based process metric (AM-PM) approach for calculating melt track resolved process conditions with maximal computational speed. A cylindrical Ti-6Al-4V test article with 16 equiangular zones having varied process parameters was built. The melt-track resolved AM-PMs were calculated and mapped to porosity existence for the 5.8-million-point PF of the test article. AM-PMs were calculated in 6.5 min, ~ 665 × faster than a similarly sized finite element calculation. This approach enables efficient prediction, assessment, and adjustment of AM builds. Graphical abstract