Metal 3D Printing & Additive Manufacturing

DMLS & EBM Skywriting & Hatching Calculator

Additive manufacturing CAM calculator for aerospace and medical DMLS/SLM/EBM systems. Calculate volumetric energy density (VED), skywriting acceleration run-up distances, and stripe hatch overlaps for porosity-free prints.

1. Input Parameters

Fiber laser / electron beam power: 150 - 500 W.
Galvo / EBM deflection speed: 600 - 1800 mm/s.
Distance between parallel laser vectors: 70 - 140 μm.
Powder recoater bed layer height: 30 - 60 μm.
Galvanometer scanner dynamic response: 200 - 600 m/s².

2. Calculation Results

Volumetric Energy Density (VED)
70.2 J/mm³
Skywriting Run-Up Distance
1.29 mm
Skywriting Turn-Around Delay
2.71 ms
Melt Pool Porosity State
KEYHOLE-FREE DENSE

3. Dynamic Schematic & Tooling Guide

DMLS / EBM Vector Hatching Criteria:
  • Skywriting Motion Synchronization: Without skywriting run-up, mirror acceleration at the start/end of hatch vectors causes local over-melting, keyhole pores, and part distortion.
  • 67° Inter-Layer Rotation: To eliminate cumulative anisotropic grain boundaries and residual stress buildup, vector slicing software must rotate the hatch angle by 67° on every consecutive layer.
  • Stripe / Island Segregation: Large cross-sections must be broken into 5mm x 5mm checkerboard islands or 10mm stripes with 50-100 μm vector overlap to minimize thermal shrinkage curl.
📖 Read Full Prepress Guide: DMLS & EBM Skywriting Vector Guide →