ANSYS Mechanical

Additive Manufacturing
Process Simulation
Analysis Guide

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Additive Manufacturing Process Simulation (Beta)

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Beta Status
The additive process simulation capabilities comprise a set of unreleased (Beta) features. Beta
features remain untested in this release and therefore are neither documented nor supported
and may result in unpredictable behavior.
The released software may differ from this Beta implementation and results may change.
The released software will require an additional license to use.

Documentation Notes
Links to the ANSYS 18.2 help are not active. Open the 18.2 Help Viewer and copy the provided
link (e.g. help/wb_sim/ds_Set_Contact_Options_step.html) into the Go To Page ( ) text box.

Support
For support or suggestions, please contact your local ANSYS support provider.

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Known Limitations
The following limitations and problems are known to exist.

Problem Workaround
Predictor/Corrector algorithm can lead to Explicitly turn predictor off via PRED,OFF
failed or inaccurate solutions
Weak springs, added by Mechanical (not the Turn off weak springs
default), causes structural solutions to
terminate with mesh size not the same
message
“Plasticity not converged” solution failure. Ensure that the tangent modulus (at all
Due to the elastic modulus of a support being temperatures) is less than any support
factored by the SECTYPE,SUPPORT factors so E*factor
that it is less than the slope of the stress-
strain curve.
Subsequent AMSTEP,REMOVE of additional Run in SMP mode or manually EKILL the prior
supports does not keep the previous removed plate/supports.
removed items removed when running in
distributed parallel mode.
The Temperature – Global Maximum in the Ignore the temperature.
Solution Information Object may report
temperatures above the melt temperature.
Stresses in supports are incorrect. Divide computed stress by the
homogenization factor.

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Table of Contents
Known Limitations .......................................................................................................................... 4
1 Introduction to Additive Manufacturing ................................................................................ 7
1.1 Additive Manufacturing Processes................................................................................... 7
1.2 Overview .......................................................................................................................... 7
2 Process Simulation Methodology ........................................................................................... 8
2.1 Process Simulation ........................................................................................................... 8
2.1.1 Differences with Traditional FEA Thermal and Structural Analyses ......................... 8
2.2 Target Users ..................................................................................................................... 8
2.3 Simulation Goals............................................................................................................... 8
2.4 Methodology and Abstractions ........................................................................................ 8
3 Setting up the Model for Simulation ...................................................................................... 9
3.1 Create a Transient Thermal Analysis System ................................................................. 10
3.2 Define Engineering Data ................................................................................................ 10
3.3 Attach Geometry ............................................................................................................ 11
3.3.1 Build Plate ............................................................................................................... 11
3.3.2 Supports .................................................................................................................. 11
3.3.3 Orientation .............................................................................................................. 11
3.3.4 Multiple Parts in the Build ...................................................................................... 11
3.4 Create Build Plate Geometry.......................................................................................... 12
3.5 Define Part Behavior ...................................................................................................... 12
3.5.1 Element Control ...................................................................................................... 12
3.5.2 Material Assignment ............................................................................................... 12
3.5.3 Reference Temperature .......................................................................................... 12
3.6 Define Connections ........................................................................................................ 13
3.7 Apply Mesh Controls and Preview Mesh ....................................................................... 13
3.7.1 Meshing Requirements ........................................................................................... 13
3.7.2 Generate a Cartesian Mesh .................................................................................... 14
3.8 Support Definition .......................................................................................................... 14
3.8.1 Support Definition Command Example .................................................................. 15
3.9 Process Parameters ........................................................................................................ 15

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4 Performing the Transient Thermal Analysis ......................................................................... 17

4.1 Establish Analysis Settings.............................................................................................. 17
4.2 Apply Loads and Supports .............................................................................................. 17
4.2.1 Environment Boundary Conditions......................................................................... 18
4.3 Process Steps (Solve) ...................................................................................................... 18
4.3.1 Preheat .................................................................................................................... 19
4.3.2 Build ........................................................................................................................ 19
4.3.3 Cool Down ............................................................................................................... 19
4.4 Thermal Command Object ............................................................................................. 20
4.5 Reviewing Results........................................................................................................... 21
5 Performing the Static Structural Analysis ............................................................................. 21
5.1 Create a Shared Model................................................................................................... 21
5.2 Establish Analysis Settings.............................................................................................. 21
5.3 Apply Loads and Supports .............................................................................................. 22
5.4 Process Steps (Solve) ...................................................................................................... 22
5.4.1 Build ........................................................................................................................ 22
5.4.2 Cool Down ............................................................................................................... 23
5.4.3 Remove Build Plate and Supports........................................................................... 23
5.5 Structural Command Object .......................................................................................... 23
5.5.1 Required Files.......................................................................................................... 23
5.6 Reviewing Results........................................................................................................... 24

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1 Introduction to Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (3D printing) can be a cost effective way of producing parts, especially
when making use of the design freedoms the manufacturing process enables such as
topological complexity and the ability to print assemblies in one step.
Metal additive manufacturing is used to produce parts for aerospace, automotive and other
industries. These are high-value parts that require careful design and manufacturing, and
simulation has long been used to validate the as-built part performance.
The additive process for metals introduces complexities as subsequently outlined that also
requires simulation of the build process itself in order to successfully produce the parts.

1.1 Additive Manufacturing Processes

Additive manufacturing (AM) is classified into a number of processes, most of which are
applicable to polymers. Two are the primary processes for fully-dense (no porosity) production
of metal parts: powder bed fusion (PBF) and directed energy deposition (DED). Our focus is on
modeling these two processes.

1.2 Overview
In a powder bed fusion process – also known as direct metal laser melting (DMLM), direct metal
laser sintering (DMLS), or selective laser melting (SLM) – a thin layer of metal powder is
deposited and a highly focused beam of energy (laser or electron beam) is moved over its
surface in order to melt the metal powder composing the current cross section and fusing it to
the preceding layer. A solid part emerges as successive layers are deposited and processed. The
initial layer is deposited on a build plate or substrate.
In a directed energy process (DED) – also known as laser engineered net shaping (LENS),
electron beam additive manufacturing (EBAM®), or laser deposition technology (LDT) – a laser
or electron beam creates a melt pool on previously solidified material where blown powder or
fed wire is introduced to add material.
Both of these processes produce high temperatures and severe thermal gradients, leading to
significant distortion and buildup of residual stresses as the layers are deposited. The distortion
can be high enough to interfere with the application of the next layer, and the residual stresses
high enough to break the part off the build plate or off its supports, or crack the part itself.
Additionally, the residual stresses will produce more distortion when the part is removed from
the build plate and its supports removed leading to an undesirable final shape.
Being able to simulate these distortions and stresses during the design of the part will help
prevent failed builds and lead to better designs for additive manufacturing.
Supports are generally needed to support overhangs and other horizontal (and nearly
horizontal) surfaces such as the top of holes. They are also used to control distortions and

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provide heat transfer routes during the build. Supports add cost – material, build time, and
removal effort – so their use should be minimized. Simulation can be used to determine the
best build orientation, best location of the supports, and their support sizing requirements.

2 Process Simulation Methodology

2.1 Process Simulation
Simulation of the manufacturing process requires that the analysis follows the build process
itself: layer-by-layer solidification of the part. Since the thermal (temperatures) and structural
(distortion and stress) physics are largely uncoupled, we can simulation the thermal first (layer-
by-layer) and use those temperature results in a following structural simulation.

2.1.1 Differences with Traditional FEA Thermal and Structural

Analyses
In an AM process simulation, the model evolves over time; that is, elements are added. We
actually mesh the entire part (in a layer fashion) and use the standard element birth and death
technique to turn on elements as the build progresses. Additionally, the relevant boundary
conditions also evolve such as thermal convection surfaces.
The analysis times and time stepping are also driven by the process parameters and are not
known a priori.
These details are all handled internally during the solution.

2.2 Target Users

The target users are the engineers involved in the design and analysis of mechanical
components and not the R&D and manufacturing engineers and technicians tasked with
determining the ideal printing machine process parameters.

2.3 Simulation Goals

The goal of the process simulation in ANSYS is to predict the macro distortions and stresses in
order to prevent build failures and provide trend data for improving designs for additive
including part orientation and support placement and sizing.
The simulation is not meant to provide detailed thermal or structural results needed for
prediction of some process results (e.g. microstructure). The simulation will also not provide
detailed guidance on the setting of the machine’s process parameters.

2.4 Methodology and Abstractions

Simulating the entire build process for a real part following the beam scan pattern would take
enormous compute time making it impractical. In order to meet the aforementioned goals in a
reasonable compute time – meaning much less than the actual build time – we use the
following abstractions:
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Layer-by-layer addition: Material is added and heated all at once for each layer. For current
generation machines and their scan patterns, this is a reasonable assumption. The in-plane
thermal effects do not contribute to the distortion as much as the build direction thermal
effects.
Super layers: Actual build layers are aggregated into “super layers” for simulation purposes.
Since the temperature histories of each adjacent layer is similar, this lumping approach is
appropriate.
Applied temperature: Rather than applying heat flux, the entire layer is set to the melt
temperature. The assumption is that the process parameters for the build have been set
appropriately so that (1) the developed temperature is always at or above melt (no lack of
fusion) and (2) the developed temperature does not greatly exceed melt (no keyholing).
Time step size: Large time step sizes are used throughout the simulation. This is sufficient to
capture the induced thermal and plastic strains driving the distortion. The localized smooth
heating and cooling curves will not be captured in detail.
Supports: Supports are represented as an orthotropic homogenized solid. While you can
provide detailed support geometry, modeling this way is sufficient to capture part distortion
and obtain estimates of support failure.
Surrounding powder: For the powder bed process, the surrounding unmelted powder need not
be explicitly modeled but the heat loss into the powder can be accounted for in a simplified
approach. The interface between powder and solid material is modeled as a convective
boundary condition.

3 Setting up the Model for Simulation

Process simulation requires a layered mesh that allows the layers to be added as the build
progresses. A layered mesh can be created by using the body-fitted Cartesian mesh option to
obtain a layered mesh. For simple geometries, mesh sweeping may be used to generate the
required layered mesh.
While the geometry and meshing capabilities of Mechanical APDL could be used to build the
model, it is much preferred to use the more powerful and robust capabilities of Workbench
Mechanical.

Note: The workflow and steps will be provided in the context of Mechanical. This will require
the use of Command Objects as described in this document. Additionally, the workflow will
require that Beta Options be enabled (From the Workbench UI Menu,
Tools>Options>Appearance, check the Beta Options box).

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A process simulation involves a thermal transient analysis followed by a static structural

analysis. The following are the initial steps using Workbench Mechanical:

1. Create a Transient Thermal Analysis System

2. Define Engineering Data
3. Attach Geometry
4. Create Build Plate Geometry
5. Define Part Behavior
6. Define Connections
7. Apply Mesh Controls and Preview Mesh
8. Support Definition
The remainder of the steps (Establish Analysis Settings, Apply Loads and Supports, Solve, and
Review Results) are provided subsequently for the thermal transient analysis and then for the
static structural analysis.

3.1 Create a Transient Thermal Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic

help/wb_sim/ds_Define_Analysis_Type_step.html

... for this analysis type:

From the Toolbox, drag the Transient Thermal template to the Project Schematic. Double-click
the transient thermal system Setup cell to continue setting up the analysis.

3.2 Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic

help/wb_sim/ds_Define_Resources_step.html

... for this analysis type:

Thermal Conductivity, Density, and Specific Heat must be defined for a transient thermal
analysis. The properties should be temperature-dependent covering the range from room
temperature to melt (solidus). You should also define the structural properties Young’s
Modulus, Poisson’s Ratio, Coefficient of Thermal Expansion, and Bilinear Isotropic Hardening
plasticity.

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Note: A nominal strength should be provided at the melt temperature as a near zero modulus
and/or yield strength could lead to convergence problems.

If you added a new material in the Engineering Data tab, you must refresh the model cell in the
Project Schematic to bring new data into the Mechanical application.

3.3 Attach Geometry

The geometry can come directly from CAD or can be from an STL file.

Basic general information about this topic

help/wb_sim/ds_Attach_Geometry_step.html

3.3.1 Build Plate

The build plate can be defined as part of the CAD or STL geometry or can be added as described
in Create Build Plate Geometry.

3.3.2 Supports
Supports may be included in either format, but we recommend that supports be handled as a
solid geometry and be given equivalent homogenized properties. You may use SpaceClaim to
generate the required solid geometry from the detailed STL supports generated by print pre-
processing software.

3.3.3 Orientation
The part should be oriented with the global Z axis as the build direction before importing the
geometry for meshing. You may use your CAD system or SpaceClaim to perform this action.

Note: The positive global Z direction is the build direction.

3.3.4 Multiple Parts in the Build

Frequently parts are duplicated in order to fill up the build plate for more efficient builds. There
is no need to do this for the process simulation, but there is a multiplier on the build time that

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allows you to take this into account using Value2 on the AMBUILD,TIME command entered in
the Thermal Command Object.

3.4 Create Build Plate Geometry

The Construction Geometry feature allows you to create the build plate (or substrate)
geometry if not brought in with the build part geometry. See the specifying a Solid section
(help/wb_sim/ds_solid_const_geom.html) of the Help for more information.

3.5 Define Part Behavior

It the Details View for each part and body you must modify their behavior as follows.

Basic general information about this topic

help/wb_sim/ds_Assign_Materials_to_Parts_step.html

... for this analysis type:

3.5.1 Element Control

You must override the default settings for the element control behavior. Highlight the
Geometry object and in its Details View modify under Definition the Element Control from
Program Control to Manual. This will force the solver to use the B-bar formulation rather than
the enhanced strain formulation, which is more appropriate for the large strains incurred
during the process simulation and is more robust.

3.5.2 Material Assignment

When you select a part in the tree outline, the Assignment entry under Material in the Details
View lists a default material for the part. From the fly-out select the appropriate material that
was defined in Engineering Data.

Note: All bodies comprising the build (part and supports) must be the same material. The
plate, however, can be a different material.

3.5.3 Reference Temperature

For each part you must specify the correct reference temperature for thermal expansion.
Highlight each part and in its Details View modify the Reference Temperature to be By Body.
For the build parts, set their Reference Temperature Value to its melt temperature. For the
build plate, set its Reference Temperature Value to room temperature.
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3.6 Define Connections

Connections are used to connect parts and supports to the build plate.

Basic general information about this topic

help/wb_sim/ds_Set_Contact_Options_step.html

... for this analysis type:

You should use bonded contact (penalty) with small sliding for the most efficient solution.

Note: You must manually define the contact and target surfaces. If you had Auto Detection
enabled, you must delete any connections created.

You will use element Face Select to create the required target and contact surfaces. On the
Connections folder, right-click and insert a Contact Region. Right-click on it and Insert>Manual
Contact Region. Select an element face on the top of the plate and double-click it to flood-
select the entire surface. In the Details View, Apply that as the target surface. Select a face on
the bottom of the part and double click it (hiding the plate [Hide Body] will make this easier) to
flood-select the whole bottom surface. Apply that as the contact. Repeat as needed for any
contact needed between supports and the plate.

3.7 Apply Mesh Controls and Preview Mesh

Basic general information about this topic

help/wb_sim/ds_Apply_Mesh_Controls_step.html

... for this analysis type:

3.7.1 Meshing Requirements

For the super layer concept, we recommend 10 to 20 deposited layers per element should be
used for the parts and supports. For a 50 micron deposit, this would be a 0.5 to a 1mm element
sizing. The mesh must have a uniform size in the build (global Z) direction.

Note: The element sizing does not have to be an even multiple of the deposit layer thickness.

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The plate can be meshed as usual and can in general be a much coarser mesh than that
required for a part validation analysis.

3.7.2 Generate a Cartesian Mesh

Highlight the Mesh object and right click Insert>Method. Select the part and support bodies
and hit Apply. Set in the Method dropdown under Definition in the Details View to Cartesian
(Beta). In the Advanced section, set the Projection Factor to 0, and apply a Coordinate System
for the mesh. Typically, the default global coordinate system is appropriate. On the Mesh
object, right click again and Insert>Sizing and set the Element Size to the desired value.

Note: If the Cartesian (Beta) option is not showing, see the note in Setting up the Model for
Simulation on enabling Beta options.

3.8 Support Definition

Note: Support definition is not supported in the Mechanical UI and you will need to use a
Command object as described in Thermal Command Object. This section will describe the
Mechanical APDL commands required in the Command object.

For each support you will need to create a Named Selection (body based). Name the selections
with the same root name followed by a numeric designation, e.g. “support1”, “support2”, etc.
Supports are identified to the solver using the AMSUPPORT command:
AMSUPPORT,nSupports,CMname,SectArray
where nSupports is the number of supports, CMname is the root name, e.g. “support”.
SectArray is the array name containing the section reference ID for each support. The array
will be nSupports long with each entry being the section reference ID for that support.
The SECTYPE command is used to identify the type of support:
SECTYPE,SECID,Type,Subtype
where SECID is the section reference ID, Type is SUPPORT, and Subtype is BLOCK for block
supports and ASEC for user-defined support properties.
SECDATA is used to input the data:
SECDATA,Val1,Val2,Val3,Val4,…
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For Subtype=BLOCK, Val1 is the thickness T of

the block wall and Val2 is the spacing distance L
of the block walls as shown in the figure.
For Subtype=ASEC, Val1 and Val2 are the
homogenization factors on the X and Y properties
respectively (e.g. KXX and KYY and EX and EY),
where X and Y are in the global Cartesian system
corresponding to the layer plane. Val3 is the
factor in the Z direction corresponding to the build
direction. These factors are the ratio of the
support geometrical areas to the areas of the solid
geometry, where the areas are the projected areas
in the X, Y, and Z directions.

3.8.1 Support Definition Command Example

For a part that has two box supports, here are the commands required:
! specify supports
*dim,suppsect,,2 ! two supports
suppsect(1)=101 ! support sectID=101
suppsect(2)=101 ! support sectID=101
sect,101,support,block ! sectype= block support
secdata,.07,1 ! wall thickness and spacing
amsupport,2,support,suppsect ! root name is "support" and suppsect is the
! array name containing the section ID's

3.9 Process Parameters

Note: Process parameters cannot be defined in the Mechanical UI and you will need to use a
Command object as described in Thermal Command Object. This section will describe the
Mechanical APDL commands required in the Command object.

Units are in the Solving Units (help/wb_sim/ds_solving_units.html)

Process simulation requires a few build parameters for the machine type used to print the part.
The parameters will vary from the manufacturer and model number as well as for the material
used in the deposition process. You can use the following table to gather the required
information.

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Inter-
Beam Layer
PreHeat Layer Hatch Travel Dwell Number
Configuration† Temp Thickness Spacing Speed Time of Beams

†Configuration: Machine type plus material

The inter-layer dwell time is the time it takes after a layer has been processed and for scanning
of the next layer to begin, and would include the print head repositioning and spreading of the
new powder layer.
Use the AMTYPE command to specify the process type:
AMTYPE,Process
where Process is either PBF for powder bed fusion machines or DED for directed energy
deposition machines.
The AMBUILD command specifies various machine process parameters:

AMBUILD,Option,Value1,Value2

 When Option is LAYERT, Value1 is the deposition layer thickness.

 When Option is SCAN, Value1 is the hatch spacing (spacing between beam scan lines)
and Value2 is the beam travel speed.
 When Option is TIME, Value1 is the inter-layer dwell time and Value2 is the dwell
time multiplier accounting for multiple parts in a build (that are not explicitly modeled).
 When Option is PLATE, Value1 is the Z-coordinate of the top of the build plate.
The AMBEAM command is used to specify the number of beams used in the heating process:

AMBEAM,nBeams
The AMMAT command is used to identify the build material and its melting (solidus)
temperature:
AMMAT,matPart,Tmelt
Where matPart is the material ID of the part and Tmelt is the material solidus temperature
which will be applied to each new layer.

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Note: If you have multiple bodies comprising the part and/or supports (multibody part), you
can use the matID corresponding to any of the bodies for matPart since they are of all the
same material. In Mechanical to determine the matID of each body, highlight the Geometry
object then click Worksheet in the Toolbar to display a list of all the bodies. The matID will start
with 1 for the first body and increment by 1 down the list.

4 Performing the Transient Thermal Analysis

The transient thermal analysis will determine the temperature history during the build process.
These temperatures will then be used in a static structural analysis to determine the build
distortions and stresses.
The following steps are outlined:
1. Establish Analysis Settings
2. Apply Loads and Supports
3. Process Steps (Solve)
4. Thermal Command Object
5. Reviewing Results

4.1 Establish Analysis Settings

You will only need to specify an estimate of the Step End Time in the Analysis Settings object in
the tree. The program will determine internally all the steps and times needed to simulate the
build process.

Note: The Step End Time is an estimate of the time to physically build the part. A quick
estimate would be (volume of part plus supports)/(hatch spacing)/(deposit layer
thickness)/(beam speed). (You can get the part and support volumes by highlighting the
Geometry object then click Worksheet in the Toolbar to display a list of all the volumes).

Output Controls can be used to limit the size of the results file by suppressing Thermal Fluxes,
Nodal Forces and Miscellaneous items. You must store results at All Time Points.

4.2 Apply Loads and Supports

The only boundary conditions that should be applied directly are the boundary conditions on
the build plate. Typically, the plate is heated on the bottom in order to maintain a constant
temperature. You may insert a Temperature constraint to simulate this, see Setting Up
Boundary Conditions (help/wb_sim/ds_Applying_Loads.html) for more information.

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4.2.1 Environment Boundary Conditions

Note: Definition of the boundary conditions related to the build is not supported in the
Mechanical UI and you will need to use a Command object as described in Thermal Command
Object. This section will describe the Mechanical APDL commands required in the Command
object.

The plate, part, and any supports are in a build chamber with a controlled environment. The
AMENV command is used to specify the information:
AMENV,Tgas,Hgas
where Tgas is the temperature of the gas inside the chamber and Hgas is the heat transfer
coefficient relating the convection of the heat from the built material to the gas. For the PBF
process, this is only applied to the top of the build. For DED, this is also applied to the sides of
the build.
For the powder bed fusion (PBF) process, the heat transfer on the sides occurs through the
powder and is specified with the AMPOWDER command:

AMPOWDER,Tpowder,Hpowder,matFactor
where Tpowder is the temperature of the added powder and Hpowder is the heat transfer
coefficient relating the convection of the heat from the built material to the powder. Typically,
this is a very small value and is often times ignored (Hpowder set to zero).

Note: Hpowder can be estimated by taking the conduction property of the powder (it’s KXX)
and dividing it by a characteristic conduction length into the powder, for instance ¼ of the
distance from the part boundary to the chamber wall.

matFactor is the knockdown factor for the estimating the powder properties. The factor
(typically 0.01) is applied to the solid properties in order to estimate the properties for the
material in its powder state. These properties are used during the heating of the new layer
before its subsequent solidification and cooldown before the next layer is applied.

4.3 Process Steps (Solve)

Note: The process steps are not supported in the Mechanical UI and you will need to use a
Command object as described in Thermal Command Object. This section will describe the

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Mechanical APDL commands required in the Command object.

The build process is accomplished through a number of steps:

 Preheat of the build plate

 Build of the part and supports through the layer-by-layer deposition process
 Cool down of the part before removal from the build chamber
These steps are done through the AMSTEP command as follows.

Note: AMSTEP replaces the SOLVE command. For Mechanical APDL usage, the AMSTEPs must
be performed all within one /SOLUTION setting (no leaving and going back in).

4.3.1 Preheat
AMSTEP,PREHEAT,Value1
where Value1 is the pre-heat temperature. This value is used to set the initial conditions of the
build plate. Note that no solution is actually performed at this step.

4.3.2 Build
AMSTEP,BUILD
will perform the build process.

Note: There are options on the command to specify the number of time steps to apply the
heating and cool down between layer applications (the dwell time) respectively. These should
rarely be needed, but can be used if you would like to obtain much finer heat up and cool down
curves.

4.3.3 Cool Down

Before the cool down, you should remove the build plate heating. This is demonstrated in the
Thermal Command Object.

AMSTEP,COOLDOWN,Value1
will cool the part down to the temperature specified as Value1. This is typically room
temperature.

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You may also modify the environment parameters (AMENV and AMPOWDER) as appropriate to
reflect the conditions at cooldown.
The program estimates the time required to cool down. If this time is too small (so it does not
cool down close to the specified temperature) or too large (so it cools quickly), you can specify
a time and override the program estimated value.

4.4 Thermal Command Object

The Command object should be inserted under the Transient Thermal object (highlight it and
right-click Insert>Commands). The command object should contain:

/com, >>> define build options

amtype,pbf ! powder bed fusion process
ambuild,plate,0 ! top of build plate at Z=0
ammat,2,1250 ! build is MAT=2 and Tmelt=1250
amenv,24,.02 ! gas temperature in build box is 24,
! convection H=.02
ampowder,24,.005,.01 ! initial powder temperature is 24, H=.005,
! powder is 1/100 of solid properties
ambuild,layert,.03 ! deposition thickness
ambuild,scan,.09,500 ! hatch spacing and laser speed
ambuild,time,10 ! time to reset recoater arm
*dim,suppsect,,1 ! one support
suppsect(1)=5 ! support sectID=5
sect,5,support,block ! sectype= block support
secdata,.09,1.5 ! Twall=.09, Spacing=1.5
amsupport,1,support,suppsect ! component is "support1" and suppsect is
! the array containing the section ID's

/com, >>> build process

amstep,preheat,200 ! preheat build plate to 200
amstep,build ! perform the layer-by-layer build
nsel,s,loc,z,-19.05 ! select nodes at the bottom of the plate
ddel,all,temp ! delete its temperature constraints
nsel,all ! select all the nodes
amstep,cool,24 ! cool down to room temperature

/com, >>> avoid Mechanical inserted SOLVE command

fini

After the command object is inserted (and the appropriate data entered), you may use
Mechanical’s SOLVE button to start the simulation.
Solution Progress
Since the solution can take significant time to complete, a status bar is provided that indicates
the overall progress of solution. More detailed information on solution status can be obtained
from the Solution Information object which is automatically inserted under the Solution folder
for all analyses. This object allows you to i) view the actual output from the solver, ii) graphically
monitor items such as convergence criteria, and iii) view the temperature contour as the build

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Additive Manufacturing Process Simulation (Beta)

progresses. Additionally, you can also monitor some result items such as temperature at a node
as the solution progresses.

4.5 Reviewing Results

Basic general information about this topic

help/wb_sim/ds_Review_Results_step.html

... for this analysis type:

Applicable results are all thermal result types (help/wb_sim/ds_Thermal.html).

Once a solution is available you can contour the results

(help/wb_sim/ds_Context_Toolbar.html>Result Context Toolbar) or animate the results
(help/wb_sim/[Link]) to review the build progression.

As a result of a transient analysis you will have solutions at many time points. You can display
the variation of a temperature at a location over the build history.

5 Performing the Static Structural Analysis

The static structural analysis will use the temperature results of the transient thermal analysis
to compute the displacements, stresses, strains, and forces due to the induced thermal strains.
The following steps are outlined:

1. Create a Shared Model

2. Establish Analysis Settings
3. Apply Loads and Supports
4. Process Steps (Solve)
5. Structural Command Object
6. Reviewing Results

5.1 Create a Shared Model

From the Toolbox, drag and drop a Static Structural template on top of the thermal systems
Model cell (and not its Solution cell) in the Project Schematic. Make sure Engineering Data,
Geometry, and Model information is shared from the Transient Thermal analysis to the Static
Structural analysis. (There should be no connection between the Solution cells.) Double-click
the structural systems Setup cell to continue setting up and solving the structural analysis.

5.2 Establish Analysis Settings

You will specify the Step End Time in the Analysis Settings object in the tree that you used in
the thermal simulation. The program will determine internally all the steps and times needed to
simulate the build process.

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In Solver Controls, Weak Springs must be Off. Large Deflection can be On or Off, but generally
On is suggested.
In Nonlinear Controls, you must set Line Search to On. (The predictor algorithm must also be
set to Off, but that can only be done in the command object).
Output Controls can be used to limit the size of the results file by suppressing items not of
interest.

5.3 Apply Loads and Supports

The only boundary condition that needs to be applied is a Fixed Support boundary condition on
the build plate. See Setting Up Boundary Conditions (help/wb_sim/ds_Applying_Loads.html) for
more information.

5.4 Process Steps (Solve)

Note: The process steps are not supported in the Mechanical UI and you will need to use a
Command object as described in Structural Command Object. This section will describe the
Mechanical APDL commands required in the Command object.

The build process is accomplished through a number of steps:

 Build of the part though the layer-by-layer deposition process

 Cool down of the part before removal from the build chamber
 Removal of the part from the build plate and the supports from the part
These steps are done through the AMSTEP command as follows.

Note: AMSTEP replaces the SOLVE command. For Mechanical APDL usage, the AMSTEPs must
be performed all within one /SOLUTION setting (no leaving and going back in).

5.4.1 Build
AMSTEP,BUILD
will perform the build process.

Note: There are options on the command to specify the number of time steps to apply the
heating and cool down between layer applications (the dwell time) respectively. These should

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Additive Manufacturing Process Simulation (Beta)

rarely be needed, but can be used if you encounter convergence difficulties.

5.4.2 Cool Down

AMSTEP,COOLDOWN,Value1
will cool the part down to the temperature specified as Value1. This is typically room
temperature.

5.4.3 Remove Build Plate and Supports

AMSTEP,REMOVAL,Value1
Value1 is the support number to remove (use 0 for the plate). Repeat this command to
remove additional supports.

5.5 Structural Command Object

Copy the command object from the Transient Thermal tree. Right-click its command object and
select Copy. Highlight the Static Structural object, right-click and choose Paste. You will edit it as
indicated in the command object text (highlighted text is to be added, strikethrough text to be
removed).

5.5.1 Required Files

The structural analysis will require the [Link] (temperature results file) and the
[Link] file. These are in the Transient Thermal solver folder, and can be found by
highlighting the Solution object in the Transient Thermal tree, right-clicking Open Solver Files
Dierctory. When the Windows Explorer opens, you will want to highlight and copy the folder
location for pasting into the command object in the highlighted locations.
The command object should contain:

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/com, >>> define build options

/sys,copy “<paste thermal solver folder here>\[Link]" .
pred,off ! turn off predictor algorithm
amtype,pbf ! powder bed fusion process
ambuild,plate,0 ! top of build plate at Z=0
ammat,2,1250 ! build is MAT=2 and Tmelt=1250
amenv,24,.02 ! gas temperature in build box is 24,
! convection H=.02
ampowder,24,.005,.01 ! initial powder temperature is 24, H=.005,
! powder is 1/100 of solid properties
ambuild,layert,.03 ! deposition thickness
ambuild,scan,.09,500 ! hatch spacing and laser speed
ambuild,time,10 ! time to reset recoater arm
*dim,suppsect,,1 ! one support
suppsect(1)=5 ! support sectID=5
sect,5,support,block ! sectype= block support
secdata,.09,1.5 ! Twall=.09, Spacing=1.5
amsupport,1,support,suppsect ! component is "support1" and suppsect is
! the array containing the section ID's

/com, >>> build process

ambuild,rthfile,’<paste thermal solver folder here>\file'
amstep,preheat,200 ! preheat build plate to 200
amstep,build ! perform the layer-by-layer build
nsel,s,loc,z,-19.05 ! select nodes at the bottom of the plate
ddel,all,temp ! delete its temperature constraints
nsel,all ! select all the nodes
amstep,cool,24 ! cool down to room temperature
amstep,remove,0 ! remove the build plate

/com, >>> avoid Mechanical inserted SOLVE command

fini

After the command object is inserted (and the appropriate data entered), you may use
Mechanical’s SOLVE button to start the simulation.
Solution Progress
Since the solution can take significant time to complete, a status bar is provided that indicates
the overall progress of solution. More detailed information on solution status can be obtained
from the Solution Information object which is automatically inserted under the Solution folder
for all analyses. This object allows you to i) view the actual output from the solver, ii) graphically
monitor items such as convergence criteria, and iii) view the total deformation contour as the
build progresses. Additionally, you can also monitor some result items such as displacement at
a vertex as the solution progresses.

5.6 Reviewing Results

Basic general information about this topic

help/wb_sim/ds_Review_Results_step.html

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Additive Manufacturing Process Simulation (Beta)

... for this analysis type:

Applicable results are all structural result types (help/wb_sim/ds_structural_result_types.html).

Once a solution is available you can contour the results

(help/wb_sim/ds_Context_Toolbar.html>Result Context Toolbar) or animate the results
(help/wb_sim/[Link]) to review the build progression.

As a result of the analysis you will have solutions at many time points. You can display the
variation of a result item at a location over the build history.

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of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates
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