Geometric modelling is an established approach for gathering detailed knowledge about the chronological sequence of process conditions and for determining technological values of machining processes such as milling, turning, grinding or additive manufacturing. Performance and accuracy essentially depend on the chosen workpiece model and its parametrization. Furthermore, several influences on the investigated machine tool system lead to errors, which must be modeled separately. This paper shows approaches to increase performance and accuracy of the simulation by choosing an appropriate combination of different geometric representations of the workpiece and by considering possible errors within the kinematic model. Examples for different applications in metal cutting are given.

Additive manufacturing is typically a flexible alternative to conventional manufacturing processes. However, manufacturing costs increase due to the effort required to experimentally determine optimum process parameters for customized products or small batches. Therefore, simulation models are needed in order to reduce the amount of effort necessary for experimental testing. For this purpose, a novel technological simulation method for directed energy deposition additive manufacturing is presented here. The Dexel-based simulation allows modeling of additive manufacturing of varying geometric shapes by considering multi-axis machine tool kinematics and local process conditions. The simulation approach can be combined with the simulation of subtractive processes, which enables integrated digital process chains.

Due to impacts and constant stress, the leading edges of aircraft engine blades often lose their shape, while the other parts of the blade are still functional. This results in unnecessary performance losses. Currently, there is no method for a fast and effective repair process as the initial shape of the blade cannot be restored. This paper presents an automated re-contouring process chain for leading edges without prior material application. Thus, it is a sustainable approach to extend the lifespan until an energy-consuming welding process can be performed. It consists of an in-machine scanning process to obtain information about the worn shape, a subsequent target model generation based on the worn shape, and an automated process planning. The process chain is evaluated using a universal, leading edge workpiece. The results show that the target requirements for shape and smoothness are fulfilled.

In modern production, Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) is becoming an essential technology for manufacturing complex components. However, the complexity of planning such processes constrains their widespread use in production cycles. Using various numerical simulation approaches allows for the investigation of resulting geometries with respect to process parameters, reducing the need for experiment-based process planning. Similar to various subtractive processes, there is increased interest in integrating simulation approaches into digital twin applications for planning and optimization of WAAM processes. This requires dynamic geometry mapping and simulation time comparable to the process duration. In this paper, a numerical simulation employing a Dexel-based geometry representation and a model for single-bead geometry parameter prediction is investigated as a vital alternative to Finite Element Method (FEM)-based simulations. The focus lies on the accuracy of the simulated components with respect to the simulation settings, the time needed for it to complete, and the degree of compliance between the simulated and produced multi-layer structures. Using optimized simulation settings achieves an accuracy loss of under 7% due to geometry discretization, with a simulation time that is approximately 37% faster than the process duration. The simulated components closely correspond to the experimental ones in terms of width and height, with a volumetric similarity ranging from 63.3% to 88.8%.