Defining Material Input

You can specify the material deposition parameters for the additive manufacturing process.

The steps below are based on use of the default (Built-in) schema for material input that is embedded in the app. Step 5 allows you to use a custom schema instead. A custom schema redefines the interface (dialog box) to work with a user subroutine that exposes only the options required for your process. In this case, your material input options might be entirely different from those described.

Before you begin: To understand the entries and definitions required, review the Abaqus user subroutines and options for use with additive manufacturing.
See Also
About Material Input
In Other Guides
About Additive Manufacturing Process Simulation
  1. From the Additive Manufacturing section of the action bar, click Material Input .
  2. Select the part.

    The part indicates the predefined volume (part or mesh) that is filled with material, layer by layer, to become a real part as the additive manufacturing process is completed.

  3. Select Follow deformation to have inactive elements—elements within the mesh of the part volume that do not yet contain enough material to be activated—follow the model deformation.

    If there is significant model deformation and inactive elements do not follow the deformation, they can distort because of their connection to the motion of the active elements. When the inactive elements are activated, the distortion can cause problems with the simulation.

  4. Optional: Edit the Expansion time constant.

    The expansion time constant ramps up the thermal strains at element activation. Applying the strains gradually can aid in solution convergence, especially when there is plasticity. The default constant is two times the initial time increment in the static step.

  5. Optional: Add a Custom definition to choose a schema that redefines the entries in the dialog box to match your additive material process.

    You can either open an existing schema from the current session or import a saved schema file. The default material input schema is shown as the example in About XML Schema Files.

    The dialog box is reconfigured to match the schema entries.
  6. Depending on the source of the product information, you have options when assigning the Event Series that describes the roller motion.
    • For a simulation using data from the Powder Bed Fabrication, the Event Series is selected automatically. However you can override this Event Series with an external document.
    • For a simulation not using data from the Powder Bed Fabrication, select a document containing the material deposition Event Series.

    An event series contains time, X-, Y-, Z-, and one additional data field to simulate the position of material deposition.

  7. Select Full or Partial activation.

    Full activation uses only the Max volume fraction to activate an entire mesh element when it is filled to at least the specified amount. Partial activation partially activates elements based on the Activation Threshold and fully activates them at the Max volume fraction.

  8. Enter the Activation Threshold as a fraction.

    The activation threshold applies partial activation. For example, you could partially activate an element at 0.05 (5%) fill to begin simulating that area of the part.

  9. Enter the Max volume fraction.

    The maximum volume fraction applies to both full and partial activation. The maximum volume fraction determines the amount of fill at which an element is treated as completely filled with material. For example, you could treat all elements with at least 0.90 as filled.