A new digital chain for additive manufacturing processes

Additive manufacturing is, nowadays, a higher process than most traditional processes (machining, etc.). But there still remains a domain where this process is not very competitive: that being its digital chain. Indeed, it is too poor in information to allow for the development of advanced additive manufacturing operations and therefore to compete with the traditional processes. This paper proposes to use the STEP-NC concept, which contains high-level information, in order to integrate the additive manufacturing processes in a complete STEP-NC digital chain in accordance with the norm work group committee ISO TC 184/SC 1. This paper proposes to develop this digital chain with a classical CNC controller, which is also present in machining equipment, and to hence benefit from their development possibilities.