Modeling and control of a direct laser powder deposition process for Functionally Graded Materials (FGM) parts manufacturing

Functionally Graded Materials (FGM) parts are heterogeneous objects with material composition and microstructure that change gradually into the parts. The distinctive feature of FGM structure gives the possibility of selecting the distribution of properties to achieve the desired functions. Today, multimaterial parts manufactured with additive manufacturing processes are not functional. To move from these samples to functional and complex parts, it is necessary to have an overall process control. This global approach requires a control of process parameters and an optimal manufacturing strategy. This paper presents a process modeling and a system control to manufacture FGM parts with a direct laser deposition system. This works enable to choose an adapted manufacturing strategy and control process parameters to obtain the required material distribution and the required geometry. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.