Optimal laser power command generation for direct energy deposition by applying gradient descent to a thermal conductivity simulation

Direct energy deposition attracts attention from automobile and aerospace industries because of its applicability to complex shape production. Although the meltpool temperature has to be controlled to enhance shape accuracy, industries remain hesitant over introducing a complex process monitoring system because of high cost and necessity of frequent maintenance. In order to keep the meltpool temperature constant, this paper proposes optimal laser power command generation by creating a finite-element thermal conductivity model for a gradient descent calculation. The experimental results clearly indicate that the obtained laser power command enhances the shape accuracy of the deposited objects.