Special-Purpose Techniques for Additive Manufacturing

Special-purpose techniques for common additive manufacturing processes are described in this section.

The functionality in Abaqus/Standard for additive manufacturing processes simulation is developed on a user subroutine infrastructure and keyword interface that provides a high degree of control and customization. Abaqus/Standard provides very general capabilities for the simulation of additive manufacturing processes using either thermomechanical or eigenstrain analyses (see Thermomechanical Simulation of Additive Manufacturing Processes and Eigenstrain-Based Simulation of Additive Manufacturing Processes).

In addition, a number of special-purpose techniques are available for simulation of common AM processes that do not require you to write user subroutines. These techniques are implemented as "internal" user subroutines in Abaqus using the same user subroutine infrastructure and keyword interface. These special-purpose techniques are accessed by using table collections with string names starting with "ABQ_" as is described in detail in Special-Purpose Techniques for Additive Manufacturing. Table collections with string names starting with "ABQ_" are reserved for special-purpose techniques and should not be used when programming your own user subroutines.

This page discusses:

Introduction
Thermomechanical Analysis of Powder Bed–Type Additive Manufacturing Processes
Thermomechanical Analysis of FDM- and LDED-Type Additive Manufacturing Processes
Eigenstrain-Based Simulation of Powder Bed–Type Additive Manufacturing Processes
Parameter Table Type Reference
Event Series Type Reference
Property Table Type Reference

Introduction

Abaqus/Standard provides a collection of special-purpose techniques applicable to the simulation of common additive manufacturing (AM) processes. You can use these solutions to define:

Progressive element activation in a structural or a thermal analysis to simulate controlled deposition of raw materials. You can simulate a layer-upon-layer raw material deposition by a recoater or roller blade used in powder bed–type processes and a bead type deposition sequence for materials injected through nozzles used in directed energy deposition processes.
Moving heat fluxes to model laser-induced heating in a thermal analysis.

To activate these special-purpose techniques, you must define the pertinent manufacturing process parameters in table collections that follow prescribed conventions. The sections that follow describe these conventions. The table collections must adhere to the naming conventions and include parameter and property tables of predetermined types. You can refer to these table collections from progressive element activation and/or distributed heat flux definitions. Abaqus activates elements and applies heat fluxes automatically using the specified process parameters.

Thermomechanical Analysis of Powder Bed–Type Additive Manufacturing Processes

In a powder bed–type AM process, such as selective laser sintering (SLS) and stereolithography (SLA), a single layer of raw material is deposited by a recoater or a roller blade. Then, a high-powered laser scans a single cross-section of the part over the layer of raw material to fuse it with the previously laid layer underneath (see Figure 1). The layer-upon-layer raw material deposition is simulated by progressive element activation in a structural or a thermal analysis, and the laser-induced heating is simulated by a moving heat flux in a thermal analysis. This section describes the special-purpose techniques and user subroutines that are available to define the relevant process parameters for material deposition and heat sources. These internal built-in user subroutines are accessed by starting names and types with "ABQ_" as described below.

Specifying Progressive Element Activation

The layer-by-layer deposition of raw material from a recoater or roller blade is simulated using progressive element activation in a structural or a thermal analysis. The following steps are required to define the deposition process completely:

Define the motion of the center point of the recoater in an event series following the convention for infinite line toolpath-mesh intersection (see Infinite Line Toolpath-Mesh Intersection).
Create a table collection with a name that begins with "ABQ_AM". The table collection must contain a parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition".
In the parameter table, include a reference to the event series for the material deposition, and set the deposition process type to "Roller".
Refer to the table collection in the progressive element activation.

Abaqus activates elements automatically according to the specified material deposition sequence.

Specifying a Concentrated Moving Heat Source

You can approximate the laser spot as a concentrated moving heat flux if the size of the finite elements used in a thermal analysis is significantly larger than the size of the laser spot (see Figure 2). The following steps are required to define the concentrated moving heat source completely:

Define the scanning trajectory and power of the laser in an event series following the convention for point toolpath-mesh intersection (see Point Toolpath-Mesh Intersection).
Create a table collection with a name that begins with "ABQ_AM". The table collection must contain a parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource".
In the parameter table, include a reference to the event series for the point heat source and set the heat source type to "Concentrated".
Refer to the table collection in the distributed load definition.

Abaqus computes and applies moving heat fluxes to each element automatically according to the specified scanning trajectory.

Specifying a Moving Heat Source with a Goldak Distribution

If the size of the finite elements used in a thermal analysis is comparable to the size of the laser spot, the laser power can be distributed over a volume based on the Goldak rule of laser energy distribution (see Figure 3). The following steps are required to define the moving heat source completely:

Define the trajectory of the laser spot in an event series similar to the definition of the concentrated moving heat source.
Create a table collection with a name that begins with "ABQ_AM". The table collection must contain a parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource" and a parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource.Goldak".
In the parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource", include a reference to the event series for the moving heat source, and set the heat source type to "Goldak".
In the parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource.Goldak", define the parameters of the Goldak distribution.
Refer to the table collection in the distributed load definition.

Abaqus computes and applies the moving distributed heat fluxes automatically according to the specified Goldak distribution and scanning trajectory.

Specifying a Moving Heat Source with a Uniform Distribution

If the size of the finite elements used in a thermal analysis is comparable to the size of the laser spot, the laser power can be distributed uniformly over a box-shaped volume. The following steps are required to define the moving heat source completely:

Define the trajectory of the laser spot in an event series similar to the definition of the concentrated moving heat source.
Create a table collection with a name that begins with "ABQ_AM". The table collection must contain a parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource" and a parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource.Uniform".
In the parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource", include a reference to the event series for the moving heat source, and set the heat source type to "Uniform".
In the parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource.Uniform", define the parameters of the box-shaped volume.
Refer to the table collection in the distributed load definition.

Abaqus computes and applies the moving distributed heat fluxes automatically.

Specifying Free Surface Radiation and Convective Heat Transfer

For information on specifying free surface radiation and convective heat transfer, see Progressive Cooling via Convection and Radiation.

Thermomechanical Analysis of FDM- and LDED-Type Additive Manufacturing Processes

In a fusion deposition modeling (FDM)-type additive manufacturing process, the raw material is injected through a nozzle onto a platform. The nozzle traces the cross-section pattern for each layer with the raw material. Materials are typically deposited layer-upon-layer until the build is complete. The raw material can be deposited in a molten state and then hardens as it cools. In some processes, such as laser direct energy deposition (LDED), the raw material is injected in a powdered form and then heated in place by a laser beam. This section describes the special-purpose techniques and user subroutines that are available for these types of additive manufacturing processes. These internal built-in user subroutines are accessed by starting names and types with "ABQ_" as described below.

Specifying Element Activation

The deposition of raw material from a moving nozzle is simulated using progressive element activation in a structural or a thermal analysis. The cross-section of the nozzle and the bead of the material being deposited are assumed to be rectangular (see Figure 4). The following steps are required to define the deposition process completely:

Define the motion of the nozzle in an event series.
Create a table collection with a name that begins with "ABQ_AM". The table collection must contain a parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition" and a parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition.Bead".
In the parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition", include a reference to the event series for the nozzle motion, and set the deposition process type to "Bead".
In the parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition.Bead", define the process parameters, such as the height and width of the bead.
Refer to the table collection in the progressive element activation.

Abaqus activates elements automatically according to the specified nozzle trajectory.

Specifying a Moving Heat Source

For information on specifying a moving heat source for FDM- and LDED-type additive manufacturing processes, see Specifying a Concentrated Moving Heat Source, Specifying a Moving Heat Source with a Goldak Distribution, and Specifying a Moving Heat Source with a Uniform Distribution.

Specifying Free Surface Radiation and Convective Heat Transfer

For information on specifying free surface radiation and convective heat transfer, see Progressive Cooling via Convection and Radiation.

Eigenstrain-Based Simulation of Powder Bed–Type Additive Manufacturing Processes

Eigenstrain-based simulation of powder bed–type processes can be simulated using the following methods: the pattern-based method and the trajectory-based method. In the trajectory based method, the path of the movement of the laser spot is used to determine the time of activation of an element and the eigenstrain to apply to the element at the time of its activation. In the pattern-based method, a scan pattern, which represents an idealized motion of the laser, is used to determine the time of activation of an element and the eigenstrain to assign to that element (see Scan Pattern–Mesh Intersection). This section describes the special-purpose techniques and user subroutines that are available for these types of additive manufacturing processes. These internal built-in user subroutines are accessed by starting names and types with "ABQ_" as described below.

Specifying Element Activation and Eigenstrain Using the Pattern-Based Method

The following steps are required to use the pattern-based eigenstrain method:

Create a table collection with a name that begins with "ABQ_EIG". The table collection must contain a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.Method" as well as the other parameter tables listed below.
In the parameter table of type "EigenStrain.Method", set the activation type to "PatternBased".
Define parameters of rectangular patches that make up a rectangular unit cell (see Scan Pattern–Mesh Intersection), which is repeated to cover the cutting plane or a layer, in a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.PatternBased.Define". You can define the following parameters: a local angle, $φ$ ; the extents of a patch $(x_{\min}, y_{\min})$ and $(x_{\max}, y_{\max})$ ; and a label of the parameter table defining an eigenstrain to apply to this patch.
Define the six eigenstrain components in a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.Define".
Define the parameters of the bounding box, inside which a particular scan-pattern strategy is active, in a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.PatternBased.ScanStrategy.Define".
Define the build parameters (such as slice or layer thickness and build coordinate system) in a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.PatternBased.Activation".
Optionally, include a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.Activation.Advanced" to specify advanced options.
Refer to the table collection in the progressive element activation.

Visualization of a Scan Pattern

A scan pattern can be visualized over the part geometry by requesting element solution-dependent field variables for output and plotting them as contours over the finite element mesh. For a pattern-based eigenstrain analysis, the first two element solution-dependent field variables are internally set to the patch ID and scan region ID, respectively (see Figure 5). For a trajectory-based eigenstrain analysis, the first element solution-dependent field variable is internally set to the rule ID.

Specifying Element Activation and Eigenstrain Using the Trajectory-Based Method

The following steps are required to use the trajectory-based method:

Create a table collection with a name that begins with "ABQ_EIG". The table collection must contain a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.Method" as well as the other parameter tables listed below.
In the parameter table of type "EigenStrain.Method", set the activation type to "TrajectoryBased".
Define parameters of the rectangular cross-section of the activation front (see Figure 4) and the name of the event series of type "SLM.HeatSourceTrajectory.RuleID" that describe that laser spot motion trajectory in a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.TrajectoryBased.Activation".
Define the six eigenstrain components in a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.Define".
Define a scan rule by including a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.TrajectoryBased.Rule.Define" that refers to a parameter table defining an eigenstrain. All the scan rules used in the analysis must be listed in a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.TrajectoryBased.Rules". The position index of the rule in this list is the rule ID number that is specified as the first field in the event series of type "SLM.HeatSourceTrajectory.RuleID".
Optionally, include a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.Activation.Advanced" to specify advanced options.

Parameter Table Type Reference

ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition

You must include a parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition" in the table collection that you specify to activate elements in the step.

Tables of type "ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition", "ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource", and "EigenStrain.TrajectoryBased.Activation" cannot refer to the same event series in an analysis.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition", PARAMETERS=2
STRING, , "Event Series", ,
STRING, , "Deposition Process", ,"Roller|Bead",

Description of Parameters

Event Series: Name of the event series.
Deposition Process: Deposition process type. Options are "Roller" or "Bead".

ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition.Bead

You must include a parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition.Bead" in the table collection that you specify to activate elements in the step if the deposition process type is "Bead".

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition.Bead", PARAMETERS=5
 STRING, , "Stack Direction", , "X|Y|Z",
 FLOAT, , "Bead Height", , ,
 FLOAT, , "Bead Width", , ,
 FLOAT, , "Activation Offset", , ,
 STRING, , "Deposition Position", , "Below|Above",

Description of Parameters

Stack Direction: Direction of progressive material deposition layers. Options are "X", "Y", and "Z" indicating the global x_g-, y_g-, or z_g-direction.
Bead Height: Height (measured parallel to the stack direction) of the deposited bead of material.
Activation Offset: Unused. Should be set to zero.
Deposition Position: Set to "Above" ("Below") to indicate that the deposited material bead is situated above (below) the path in the stack direction.

ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition.Advanced

Optionally, you can include a parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition.Advanced" in the table collection that you specify to activate elements in the step. If a table of this type is not present, default values are used. However, if a table is present, all fields must be explicitly defined. No field should be left blank.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition.Advanced", PARAMETERS=3
 STRING, "Partial", "Activation Type", , "Full|Partial",
 FLOAT, , "Min Volume Fraction Threshold", , ,
 FLOAT, , "Max Volume Fraction Threshold", , ,

Description of Parameters

Activation Type: Set to "Full" to indicate that elements are activated and their volume fractions set to one. Set to "Partial" to indicate that elements are activated when material deposits inside the element, and the volume fractions progressively increase from the minimum volume fraction threshold to one as more material deposits. Default value is "Partial".
Min Volume Fraction Threshold: For activation type "Partial", elements are considered to have at least the minimum threshold volume fraction when any amount of material is deposited inside the element. The minimum volume fraction threshold should be set to a value between zero and one. For activation type "Full", the minimum volume fraction threshold is not used. Default value is zero.
Max Volume Fraction Threshold: For activation type "Full", the maximum volume fraction threshold indicates a volume fraction below which elements are kept inactive and above which elements are activated with a volume fraction of one. For activation type "Partial", the maximum volume fraction threshold indicates a volume fraction above which element volume fractions are considered to be one. Default value is one.

ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource

You must include a parameter table of type “ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource” in the table collection for moving heat flux.

Tables of type "ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition", "ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource", and "EigenStrain.TrajectoryBased.Activation" cannot refer to the same event series in an analysis.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource", PARAMETERS=2
 STRING, , "Event Series", , ,
 STRING, , "Energy Distribution", ,"Concentrated|Uniform|Goldak",

Description of Parameters

Event Series: Name of the event series.
Energy Distribution: Set to “Concentrated” to indicate a point energy source, to “Uniform” to indicate that energy is distributed inside a box shape of finite size, or to “Goldak” to indicate that energy is distributed over a three-dimensional space following an exponential expression given by Goldak, et al. (see Figure 3).

ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource.Uniform

You must include a parameter table of type “ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource.Uniform” in the table collection for moving heat flux if the energy distribution type is set to “Uniform”. Parameters defined in this table indicate lengths, offsets, and subdivisions of the box toolpath used in the toolpath-mesh intersection module.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource.Uniform", PARAMETERS=9
  INTEGER, , "SubDivX", , ,
  INTEGER, , "SubDivY", , ,
  INTEGER, , "SubDivZ", , ,
  FLOAT, , "OffsetX", , ,
  FLOAT, , "OffsetY", , ,
  FLOAT, , "OffsetZ", , ,
  FLOAT, , "BoxLengthX", , ,
  FLOAT, , "BoxLengthY", , ,
  FLOAT, , "BoxLengthZ", , ,

Description of Parameters

For reference, see Figure 6.

SubDivX: Number of subdivisions along the local x_l-direction.
SubDivY: Number of subdivisions along the local y_l-direction.
SubDivZ: Number of subdivisions along the local z_l-direction.
OffsetX: Component of the offset vector in the local x_l-direction.
OffsetY: Component of the offset vector in the local y_l-direction.
OffsetZ: Component of the offset vector in the local z_l-direction.
BoxLengthX: Length of the box in the local x_l-direction.
BoxLengthY: Length of the box in the local y_l-direction.
BoxLengthZ: Length of the box in the local z_l-direction.

ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource.Goldak

You must include a parameter table of type “ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource.Goldak” in the table collection for moving heat source if the energy distribution type is set to “Goldak”. Parameters defined in this table indicate parameters used in the Goldak expression of laser energy distribution (see Figure 3). It is assumed that material is deposited below the laser path defined by the event series; therefore, you must choose “Below” as the deposition position in the table of type "ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition.Bead" for a bead-type material deposition method.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource.Goldak", PARAMETERS=10
 INTEGER,  , "SubDivX", , ,
 INTEGER,  , "SubDivY", , ,
 INTEGER,  , "SubDivZ", , ,
 FLOAT, , "a", , ,
 FLOAT, , "b", , ,
 FLOAT, , "cf", , ,
 FLOAT, , "cr", , ,
 FLOAT, , "ff", , ,
 FLOAT, , "fr", , ,
 FLOAT, , "BoxSizeFactor", , ,

Description of Parameters

For reference, see Figure 6.

SubDivX: Number of subdivisions along the local x_l-direction.
SubDivY: Number of subdivisions along the local y_l-direction.
SubDivZ: Number of subdivisions along the local z_l-direction.
OffsetX: Component of the offset vector in the local x_l-direction.
OffsetY: Component of the offset vector in the local y_l-direction.
OffsetZ: Component of the offset vector in the local z_l-direction.
a, b, cf, cr, ff, and fr: Parameters used in the Goldak energy distribution expression.
BoxSizeFactor: Unused. Should be set to one.

ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource.Advanced

Optionally, you can include a parameter table of type "ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource.Advanced" in the table collection for moving heat source. If a table of this type is not present, default values are used. However, if a table is present, all fields must be explicitly defined. No field should be left blank.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource.Advanced", PARAMETERS=7
 STRING, "False", "Conserve Total Energy", , "True|False",
 STRING, "False" , "Control Increment Size", , "True|False",
 STRING, "Relative", "Offset Type", , "Absolute|Relative",
 FLOAT , 0.0, "VectorX", , ,
 FLOAT , 0.0, "VectorY", , ,
 FLOAT , -1.0, "VectorZ", ,
 FLOAT , 1.0, "Field Factor", , ,

Description of Parameters

For reference, see Figure 6.

Conserve Total Energy: Set to “True” to indicate that if part of the energy distribution along a path segment is outside the external mesh boundary, the power of the part of the energy distribution that is inside the mesh boundary is proportionally increased to keep the total energy conserved. If set to “False”, part of the energy distribution along a path segment outside the external mesh boundary is lost. Default value is “False”.
Control Increment Size: Unused. Should be set to “False”.
Offset Type: Set to “Relative” to indicate that the components of the offset vector defined in the table "ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource.Uniform" are in terms of half of the box lengths in the local x-_l, y_l-, and z_l-directions, respectively. Set to “Absolute” to indicate that the offset values are absolute.
VectorX: Components of the vector in the global coordinate system indicating the local x_l-direction.
VectorY: Components of the vector in the global coordinate system indicating the local y_l-direction.
VectorZ: Components of the vector in the global coordinate system indicating the local z_l-direction.
Field Factor: Scaling factor that is multiplied to the first field of the event series. Default value is one. Only used if the energy distribution type is set to “Goldak” or “Uniform”.

Eigenstrain.Method

You must include a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.Method" in the table collection. Only one set of data can be defined.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="EigenStrain.Method", PARAMETERS=1
 STRING, "TrajectoryBased", "Activation Type", , "PatternBased|TrajectoryBased",

Description of Parameters

Activation Type: Set to “PatternBased” to indicate a scan pattern based on an eigenstrain analysis. Set to "TrajectoryBased" to indicate a trajectory-based eigenstrain analysis.

Eigenstrain.Define

You must include a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.Define" in the table collection. Optionally, you can include multiple tables of this type. Each table must have a unique label. Only one set of data is allowed in each table.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="EigenStrain.Define", PARAMETERS=6
 FLOAT, 0.0, "Eig11", , ,
 FLOAT, 0.0, "Eig22", , ,
 FLOAT, 0.0, "Eig33", , ,
 FLOAT, 0.0, "Eig12", , ,
 FLOAT, 0.0, "Eig13", , ,
 FLOAT, 0.0, "Eig23", , ,

Description of Parameters

Eig11: 11 component of the eigenstrain tensor.
Eig22: 22 component of the eigenstrain tensor.
Eig33: 33 component of the eigenstrain tensor.
Eig12: 12 component of the eigenstrain tensor.
Eig13: 13 component of the eigenstrain tensor.
Eig23: 23 component of the eigenstrain tensor.

Eigenstrain.Activation.Advanced

Optionally, you can include a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.Activation.Advanced". Only one set of data can be defined.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="EigenStrain.Activation.Advanced", PARAMETERS=4
 STRING, "Full", "Element Activation", , "Full|Partial",
 FLOAT, 0.0, "Min Volume Fraction Threshold", , ,
 FLOAT, 1.0, "Max Volume Fraction Threshold", , ,
 STRING, "FirstIntersection", "Averaging Technology", , "FirstIntersection|Averaged",

Description of Parameters

Element Activation: Set to “Full” to indicate that elements are activated and their volume fractions set to one. Set to “Partial” to indicate that elements are activated when material deposits inside the element and the volume fractions progressively increase from the minimum volume fraction threshold to one as more material deposits. Default value is “Full”.
Min Volume Fraction Threshold: For activation type "Partial", elements are considered to have at least the minimum threshold volume fraction when any amount of material is deposited inside the element. The minimum volume fraction threshold should be set to a value between zero and one. For activation type "Full", the minimum volume fraction threshold is not used. Default value is zero.
Max Volume Fraction Threshold: For activation type “Full”, the maximum volume fraction threshold indicates a volume fraction below which elements are kept inactive and above which elements are activated with a volume fraction of one. For activation type “Partial”, the maximum volume fraction threshold indicates a volume fraction above which element volume fractions are considered to be one. Default value is one.
Averaging Technology: Unused.

Eigenstrain.PatternBased.Activation

You must include a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.PatternBased.Activation" in the table collection. Only one set of data must be defined.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="EigenStrain.PatternBased.Activation", PARAMETERS=13
 FLOAT, 1.0, "Slice Height", , ,
 FLOAT, 1.0, "OriAX", , ,
 FLOAT, 0.0, "OriAY", , ,
 FLOAT, 0.0, "OriAZ", , ,
 FLOAT, 1.0, "OriBX", , ,
 FLOAT, 0.0, "OriBY", , ,
 FLOAT, 0.0, "OriBZ", , ,
 FLOAT, 1.0, "OriCX", , ,
 FLOAT, 0.0, "OriCY", , ,
 FLOAT, 0.0, "OriCZ", , ,
 STRING, "Total Time", "Total/Step Time", , "TotalTime|StepTime", 
 FLOAT, -1e36, "Start Time", , ,
 FLOAT, +1e36, "End Time", , ,

Description of Parameters

For reference, see Figure 7.

Slice Height: Height of slice for scan pattern.
OriAX, OriAY, OriAZ, OriBX, OriBY, OriBZ, OriCX, OriCY, OriCZ: Orientation of the build system I–J–K and its origin.
Total/Step Time: Set to "TotalTime" to indicate that the print start and end times are in total time. Set to "StepTime" to indicate that the print start and end times are in step time.
Start Time, End Time: Print start and end times.

Eigenstrain.PatternBased.Define

You can include multiple parameter tables of type "EigenStrain.PatternBased.Define" in the table collection. Each table must have a unique label. Each table can have multiple sets of data; each set defines one patch/island in a scan pattern.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="EigenStrain.PatternBased.Define", PARAMETERS=6
 FLOAT, 0.0, "x_min", , ,
 FLOAT, 0.0, "y_min", , ,
 FLOAT, 1000.0, "x_max", , ,
 FLOAT, 1000.0, "y_max", , ,
 STRING, " ", Label of an Eigenstrain.Define Table", , ,
 FLOAT, 0.0, "Local In-plane Rotation (in degrees)", , ,

Description of Parameters

For reference, see Figure 8.

x_min, y_min, x_max, y_max: Extent of a scan patch.
Label of an Eigenstrain.Define Table: Refers to the eigenstrain tensor that will be applied to this pattern patch.
Local In-plane Rotation: Local in-plane rotation, $φ$ , of the patch (in degrees).

Eigenstrain.PatternBased.ScanStrategy.Define

You can include multiple parameter tables of type EigenStrain.PatternBased.ScanStrategy.Define in the table collection. Each table must have a unique label. Each table can define only one set of data.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="EigenStrain.PatternBased.ScanStrategy.Define", PARAMETERS=8
 STRING, " ", "Pattern", , ,
 FLOAT, 0.0, "Relative Rotation Angle (in degrees)", , , 
 FLOAT, -1e36, "X_min", , , 
 FLOAT, -1e36, "Y_min", , ,
 FLOAT, -1e36, "Z_min", , ,
 FLOAT, 1e36, "X_max", , ,
 FLOAT, 1e36, "Y_max", , ,
 FLOAT, 1e36, "Z_max", , ,

Description of Parameters

For reference, see Figure 7.

Pattern: Label of a table of type EigenStrain.PatternBased.Define.
Relative Rotation Angle: Layer-to-layer (slice-to-slice) rotation angle, $Θ$ .
X_min, Y_min, Z_min, X_max, Y_max, Z_max: Extent of a scanning region.

Eigenstrain.PatternBased.Scanstrategies

You must include a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.PatternBased.ScanStrategies" in the table collection. The table can define multiple sets of data.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="EigenStrain.PatternBased.ScanStrategies", PARAMETERS=1 
 STRING, " ", "Scan Strategy", , ,

Description of Parameters

Scan Strategy: Label of a table of type EigenStrain.PatternBased.ScanStrategy.Define. Sets of data from this table define active strategies in the analysis.

Eigenstrain.PatternBased.Advanced

Optionally, you can include a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.PatternBased.Advanced" in the table collection. The table can define only one set of data.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="EigenStrain.PatternBased.Advanced", PARAMETERS=2
 STRING, "SWEEP", "Activation Technique", , "SWEEP|LAYERBYLAYER",
 STRING, "TRUE", "One Slice per Time Increment", , "TRUE|FALSE",

Description of Parameters

Activation Technique: Set to "LAYERBYLAYER" to activate all elements of a layer/slice simultaneously. Set to "SWEEP" for progression of the element activation front in the I-direction in a layer/slice.
One Slice per Time Increment: Set to "TRUE" to control the time increment size automatically such that an increment always ends when all elements of a slice/layer are activated.

Eigenstrain.TrajectoryBased.Activation

You must include a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.TrajectoryBased.Activation" in the table collection. Only one set of data must be defined.

Tables of type "ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition", "ABQ_AM.MovingHeatSource", and "EigenStrain.TrajectoryBased.Activation" cannot refer to the same event series in an analysis.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE,NAME="EigenStrain.TrajectoryBased.Activation", PARAMETERS=5
 STRING, " ", "Deposition Head Event Series", , ,
 STRING, "Z", "Stack Direction", , "X|Y|Z",
 FLOAT, "1.0", "Bead Height", , ,
 FLOAT, "1.0", "Bead Width", , ,
 STRING, "Below", "Deposition Position", , "Below|Above",

Description of Parameters

Deposition Head Event Series: Name of an event series of type "SLM.HeatSourceTrajectory.RuleID" describing the trajectory of the toolpath.
Stack Direction: Direction of progressive material deposition layers. Options are “X”, “Y”, and “Z” indicating the global x_g-, y_g-, or z_g-direction.
Bead Height: Height (measured parallel to the stack direction) of the deposited bead of material.
Bead Width: Width (measured perpendicular to the stack direction) of the deposited bead of material.
Deposition Position: Set to “Above”(“Below”) to indicate that the deposited material bead is situated above (below) the path/trajectory in the stack direction.

Eigenstrain.TrajectoryBased.Rule.Define

You can include multiple parameter tables of type "EigenStrain.TrajectoryBased.Rule.Define" in the table collection. Only one set of data must be defined. Each table must have a unique label.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="EigenStrain.TrajectoryBased.Rule.Define", PARAMETERS=1
 STRING, " ", "Label of an Eigenstrain.Define table" , , "

Description of Parameters

Label of an Eigenstrain.Define table: Label of a table of type Eigenstrain.Define.

Eigenstrain.TrajectoryBased.Rules

You must include a parameter table of type "EigenStrain.TrajectoryBased.Rules" in the table collection. Multiple sets of data can be defined. An integer rule ID that starts from one is assigned internally to the sets of data defined in this table. You must reference this rule ID from the event series that defines the trajectory of the toolpath. See event series type SLM.HeatSourceTrajectory.RuleID below.

Parameter Table Type Definition

PARAMETER TABLE TYPE, NAME="EigenStrain.TrajectoryBased.Rules", PARAMETERS=1
 STRING, " ", "Trajectory Rule Name", , ,

Description of Parameters

Trajectory Rule Name: Label of a table of type EigenStrain.TrajectoryBased.Rule.Define. Multiple Trajectory Rule Name parameters can be defined. The list of these rule names constitutes the active rules in the analysis.

Event Series Type Reference

Slm.HeatSourceTrajectory.Ruleid

An event series of type "SLM.HeatSourceTrajectory.RuleID" defines trajectories of the toolpath and eigenstrain rule ID.

Event Series Type Definition

EVENT SERIES TYPE, NAME="SLM.HeatSourceTrajectory.RuleID", FIELDS=1  
"Rule ID"

Description of Fields

Rule ID: Integer strain rule ID (see parameter table type EigenStrain.TrajectoryBased.Rules above).

ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition

An event series of type "ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition" defines trajectories of the toolpath for material deposition.

Event Series Type Definition

EVENT SERIES TYPE, NAME="ABQ_AM.MaterialDeposition", FIELDS=1  
"On/Off State"

Description of Fields

On/Off State: Set to 1 to indicate the "on" state or to 0 to indicate the "off" state of the tool for the segment.

ABQ_AM.PowerMagnitude

An event series of type "ABQ_AM.PowerMagnitude" defines trajectories of the toolpath for the laser.

Event Series Type Definition

EVENT SERIES TYPE, NAME="ABQ_AM.PowerMagnitude", FIELDS=1  
"Power Magnitude (unit of JT^-1)"

Description of Fields

Power Magnitude: Magnitude of the power of the laser for the segment.

Property Table Type Reference

ABQ_AM.AbsorptionCoeff

You can include a property table of type "ABQ_AM.AbsorptionCoeff" in the table collection for the distributed load definition to define the absorption coefficient of the material for laser heating.

Property Table Type Definition

PROPERTY TABLE TYPE, NAME="ABQ_AM.AbsorptionCoeff", PROPERTIES=1
"Absorption Coefficient (between 0 and 1)"

Description of Fields

Absorption Coefficient: Absorption coefficient of the material (a value between 0 and 1).