Physics-Based Feedforward Control of Metal Additive Manufacturing

Physics-based feedforward control is discussed in this article for two important laser-based metal additive manufacturing (AM) processes: directed-energy deposition and laser powder-bed fusion. For each type of process, control-oriented, lumped-parameter models that characterize melt pool dynamics as a function of process parameters are discussed first. Then, the derivation of model-based controllers is illustrated, followed by experimental evaluations of the model-based controller implemented as a feedforward control on a commercial AM system.