In metal additive manufacturing, a metal material is melted by a concentrated heat source such as a laser. Therefore, thermal deformation occurs in the fabrication, which causes deterioration of shape accuracy and crack of the workpiece. In this study, a method to systematically reduce the thermal deformation was discussed. The mechanism of thermal deformation caused by stacking and lining up the bead was investigated using finite element simulations and experiments. Based on the obtained results and thermal deformation theory in welding, a method to reduce the thermal deformation was proposed and the validity of the method was demonstrated by simulation.
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