Recommended layer thickness to the powder-based additive manufacturing using multi-attribute decision support

Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) is an essential method of product design and development process. The product design analysis, including improved production, is carried out according to the key parameters of Additive Manufacturing (AM), such as layer thickness, build orientation, creation of support and slicing planning. The production parameters, together with the AM method and the type of material, significantly influence product quality through surface finish and strength. The paper presents an approach that helps users define layer thickness by evaluating the design with several attributes, where both strength and surface roughness are criteria of interest for improving product quality. Weighted features, DfAM knowledge and a multi-attribute decision support tool, are used to recommend the most desirable layer thickness. Additive powder samples were used in the case study to show how the proposed approach contributes to product quality.