Ontology-Based Laser and Thermal Metamodels for Metal-Based Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a promising technology that is expected to revolutionize industry by allowing the production of almost any shape directly from a 3D model. In metal-based AM, numerous process parameters are highly interconnected, and their interconnections are not yet understood. Understanding this interconnectivity is the first step in building process control models that help make the process more repeatable and reliable. Metamodels can be used to conceptualize models of complex AM processes and capture diverse parameters to provide a graphical view using common terminology and modeling protocols. In this paper we consider different process models (laser and thermal) for metal-based AM and develop an AM Process Ontology from first-principles. We discuss and demonstrate its implementation in Protégé.