Vector-level Feedforward Control of LPBF Melt Pool Area Using a Physics-Based Thermal Model

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Kirschbaum, Nicholas, Wood, Nathaniel, Kim, Chang-Eun, Tumkur, Thejaswi U., Okwudire, Chinedum
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Kirschbaum, Nicholas
Wood, Nathaniel
Kim, Chang-Eun
Tumkur, Thejaswi U.
Okwudire, Chinedum
author_facet Kirschbaum, Nicholas
Wood, Nathaniel
Kim, Chang-Eun
Tumkur, Thejaswi U.
Okwudire, Chinedum
contents Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is an additive manufacturing technique that has gained popularity thanks to its ability to produce geometrically complex, fully dense metal parts. However, these parts are prone to internal defects and geometric inaccuracies, stemming in part from variations in the melt pool. This paper proposes a novel vector-level feedforward control framework for regulating melt pool area in LPBF. By decoupling part-scale thermal behavior from small-scale melt pool physics, the controller provides a scale-agnostic prediction of melt pool area and efficient optimization over it. This is done by operating on two coupled lightweight models: a finite-difference thermal model that efficiently captures vector-level temperature fields and a reduced-order, analytical melt pool model. Each model is calibrated separately with minimal single-track and 2D experiments, and the framework is validated on a complex 3D geometry in both Inconel 718 and 316L stainless steel. Results showed that feedforward vector-level laser power scheduling reduced geometric inaccuracy in key dimensions by 62%, overall porosity by 16.5%, and photodiode variation by 6.8% on average. Overall, this modular, data-efficient approach demonstrates that proactively compensating for known thermal effects can significantly improve part quality while remaining computationally efficient and readily extensible to other materials and machines.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_12557
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Vector-level Feedforward Control of LPBF Melt Pool Area Using a Physics-Based Thermal Model
Kirschbaum, Nicholas
Wood, Nathaniel
Kim, Chang-Eun
Tumkur, Thejaswi U.
Okwudire, Chinedum
Computational Engineering, Finance, and Science
Applied Physics
Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is an additive manufacturing technique that has gained popularity thanks to its ability to produce geometrically complex, fully dense metal parts. However, these parts are prone to internal defects and geometric inaccuracies, stemming in part from variations in the melt pool. This paper proposes a novel vector-level feedforward control framework for regulating melt pool area in LPBF. By decoupling part-scale thermal behavior from small-scale melt pool physics, the controller provides a scale-agnostic prediction of melt pool area and efficient optimization over it. This is done by operating on two coupled lightweight models: a finite-difference thermal model that efficiently captures vector-level temperature fields and a reduced-order, analytical melt pool model. Each model is calibrated separately with minimal single-track and 2D experiments, and the framework is validated on a complex 3D geometry in both Inconel 718 and 316L stainless steel. Results showed that feedforward vector-level laser power scheduling reduced geometric inaccuracy in key dimensions by 62%, overall porosity by 16.5%, and photodiode variation by 6.8% on average. Overall, this modular, data-efficient approach demonstrates that proactively compensating for known thermal effects can significantly improve part quality while remaining computationally efficient and readily extensible to other materials and machines.
title Vector-level Feedforward Control of LPBF Melt Pool Area Using a Physics-Based Thermal Model
topic Computational Engineering, Finance, and Science
Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.12557