A study on the effect of directed energy deposition substrate energy on clad geometry

Directed energy deposition (DED) is an additive manufacturing (AM) process where a laser is used to fuse a metal powder onto a substrate. The powder is deposited in a layer-by-layer fashion, and each deposited track is referred to as the clad. Large thermal gradients that occur during DED can cause changes in the clad geometry as well as deformation of the substrate and final part. Thermal behavior of DED manufactured parts and mitigation of thermal distortion has been addressed in the literature, but these studies mainly focused on material properties while neglecting the effect of thermal distortion on part geometry. One of the mitigation strategies that has been widely tested and accepted is substrate preheating. This study uses analytical and experimental models to observe changes in clad geometry when energy input to the part is varied by adjusting process parameters and preheating the substrate. A method to quantify substrate energy, or the amount of heat energy the substrate holds, is found as well as a relationship between the substrate energy and clad geometry. The geometry of the clad can be controlled by controlling the total energy added to the clad.