Systematic compensation of geometrical deviations in additive manufacturing through a deviation budget framework

Additive manufacturing is increasingly being adopted by companies due to its potential for innovation and efficiency. However, a significant challenge associated with this technology is that the process is less controllable than conventional manufacturing methods. Given the broad range of processes involved in the field of additive manufacturing, it is challenging to establish a standardised approach for verifying these processes and, consequently, for process control. Geometrical deviations emerge as a critical issue that must be addressed in order to ensure the accuracy of the manufactured components. This paper presents a method for minimising these deviations by dividing them systematically into the phases of the additive manufacturing process and assigning weights to each depending on compensation possibilities and influence on total deviation. The proposed methodology uses components of the ISO GPS (Geometrical Product Specification) system to describe and analyse geometrical deviations effectively. A detailed analysis of the deviations contributing to the total deviation is conducted to determine the influence of each deviation on the accuracy of the final product. This approach facilitates informed decision-making regarding the relevance and prioritisation of reducing specific deviations. To demonstrate the practical application of this methodology, a case study using the Fused Layer Modelling (FLM) process is presented. The findings show that significant improvements in manufacturing accuracy can be achieved by identifying and compensating for geometric deviations in the CAD model.