CC BY 4.0Biegler, MaxMaxBieglerWang, JiahanJiahanWangKaiser, LukasLukasKaiserRethmeier, MichaelMichaelRethmeier2023-01-052023-01-052020https://publica.fraunhofer.de/handle/publica/26364910.1002/srin.20200001710.24406/publica-r-263649In additive manufacturing (AM) directed energy deposition (DED), parts are built by welding layers of powder or wire feedstock onto a substrate with applications for steel powders in the fields of forging tools, spare parts, and structural components for various industries. For large and bulky parts, the choice of tool-paths influences the build rate, the mechanical performance, and the distortions in a highly geometry-dependent manner. With weld-path lengths in the range of hundreds of meters, a reliable, automated tool-path generation is essential for the usability of DED processes. This contribution presents automated tool-path generation approaches and discusses the results for arbitrary geometries. So-called “zig-zag” and “contour-parallel” processing strategies are investigated and the tool-paths are automatically formatted into machine-readable g-code for experimental validation to build sample geometries. The results are discussed in regard to volume-fill, microstructure, and porosity in dependence of the path planning according to photographs and metallographic cross-sections.enadditive manufacturinglaser metal depositionmechanical propertypath planningporosity658669670journal article