Additive manufacturing and post-processing simulation: laser cladding followed by high speed machining

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a promising technology for many industrial sectors, from aerospace to personal care goods. However, when it comes to high-quality components, CNC machining is still the most reliable solution. A lot of research has been conducted for modeling and predicting the quality of an additive manufactured or machined part. However, the state of the art clearly indicates that the short-term future of manufacturing will be mostly comprised of process chains, which combine both subtractive and additive manufacturing processes. Taking this into account, this paper presents a modeling methodology for a process chain consisting of laser cladding, as an AM process, and high speed machining (HSM), a subtractive process usually used for finishing operations. The modeling methodology, which is based on the finite element method and utilizes the level set method to define the cutting tool path, is able to predict results such as residual stresses and part distortion. The proposed approach is applied in simulating HSM of a steel tube fabricated by laser cladding. The results are showing that machining can partially eliminate the residual stresses and distortion caused by laser cladding.