Additive manufacturing (AM) is positioned as a key technology to meet market needs in terms of flexible manufacturing. In particular, AM by direct energy deposition (DED AM) thanks to its high deposition rates, design freedom and adaptability to different sizes.

Finite element simulation is presented as a fundamental tool to address the challenges that currently limit the implementation of this technology in the Galician manufacturing industry. The multi-scale nature of the problem and the complex physics involved in DED AM processes make it difficult to obtain realistic macro-scale models with reasonable computational times.

The aim of this project is the development of a computationally efficient simulation tool to predict defects and distortion phenomena during the AM process, guaranteeing the quality of the component from the design and engineering phase.