Development of a simulation tool for predicting energy consumption of selective laser melting by using MATLAB/Simulink

Abstract Additive manufacturing (AM) is the umbrella term for manufacturing processes that apply materials layer by layer to create 3D-parts. This technology implies many revolutionary benefits. Selective laser melting (SLM) is one promising metal AM technology which uses a laser beam to melt material on the selective area of a powder bed for creating parts. In order to ensure the sustainable value of SLM, the energy consumption for manufacturing parts with SLM should be analyzed in the design phase. Addressing this issue, this paper introduces the development of a simulation tool for energy consumption prediction with SLM by using MATLAB®/Simulink®. The development approach includes 5 phases: data acquisition, definition of system parameters, modeling using bond graphs, creation of Simulink® models, and creation of data structure and GUI. The result of this work shows that the simulation tool is a useful tool for analyzing and evaluating the energy consumption of SLM in the design phase.