CAM planning for multi-axis laser additive manufacturing considering collisions

In this paper, the presented approach resolves important aspects that appear in the process planning for multi-axis Direct Laser Additive Manufacturing: smoothing of the nozzle orientation along the toolpath to reduce deviation of the laser spot's surface speed, redistribution of the toolpath points on the surface to ensure robust processing of the points by the machine tool, collision avoidance between the nozzle and the workpiece by adjustment of the nozzle orientation. Collision avoidance penalizes the lateral tilting to minimize the change of the laser spot size due to tilting and, therefore, it has reduced its impact on the process.