A new slicing workflow to effectively bridge design to process for components from Directed Energy Deposition with arc

Abstract

Directed Energy Deposition with arc (DED-arc) is a promising technology for efficient
and cost-effective production of metal components, in which the wire feedstock is melted using
an electric arc. Compared to other additive manufacturing methods, DED-arc offers superior
material deposition rates at lower cost. A key aspect is the slicing process, in which a 3D CAD
model is subdivided into layers and machine control parameters are defined. While many free
slicing tools are available for polymer 3D printing, DED-arc requires specialized software solutions
since material quality strongly depends on process parameters. A utility analysis of open-source
slicer software was conducted in this work. For the system configuration comprising a GEFERTEC
3DMP machine (arc 605) coupled with a Fronius TransPuls Synergic 4000 CMT welding system,
Cura emerged as the optimal base platform. Enhanced functionality for DED-arc applications was
achieved through implementation of custom scripting modules. The newly developed slicing
workflow was validated using various test geometries and then compared with the standard slicing
workflow using Rhino and Grasshopper on a demonstrator component. The developed
methodology was found to consistently reduce G-code setup times from hours to approximately
five minutes while achieving at least equal, in most cases significantly superior dimensional
accuracy, emphasizing the validity and effectiveness of the methodology