Case Study : From G-code to Part to Prediction: DED Simulation with Ansys Discovery and Ansys Mechanical software

Abstract

Directed Energy Deposition (DED) additive manufacturing (AM) offers significant design flexibility for complex components, but strong thermal gradients during the process can lead to distortion and residual stresses. This case study presents a process‑level simulation workflow for DED within the Ansys ecosystem, combining path‑based geometry reconstruction with weakly coupled thermal–mechanical analysis. A multi‑axis G‑code describing the deposition path is first used in the Additive DED add‑in of Ansys DiscoveryTM to generate a path‑accurate geometric representation of the part. This model is subsequently used in Ansys MechanicalTM to perform a weakly coupled simulation of the build process. The approach captures the evolution of temperature, distortion, and residual stresses throughout deposition and cooldown. The modelling strategy focuses on macro‑scale thermal and mechanical behaviour, enabling efficient prediction of global manufacturability trends while intentionally neglecting fine‑scale phenomena such as melt pool dynamics and microstructural evolution. Despite this simplification, the results provide valuable insight into the sensitivity of distortion to process parameters and build strategies. Overall, the study demonstrates how simulation‑driven workflows can support design for additive manufacturing (DfAM), enabling early identification of potential print failures and facilitating informed decisions to improve part quality and process robustness.