Two-dimensional temperature field prediction with in-situ data in metal additive manufacturing using physics-informed neural networks

Accurately predicting the temperature field in metal additive manufacturing (AM) processes is critical for preventing overheating, adjusting process parameters, and ensuring process stability. While physics-based computational models offer precision, they are often time-consuming and unsuitable for real-time predictions. Machine learning models, on the other hand, rely heavily on high-quality datasets, which can be costly and difficult to obtain in the metal AM domain. Existing studies on physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) have made progress in integrating physics with machine learning but often lack in-situ data integration, which is essential for capturing real-time thermal dynamics. Additionally, their methodologies are typically heavily dependent on specific process characteristics, limiting their flexibility. Our work addresses these gaps by introducing a PINN-based framework specifically designed for temperature field prediction in metal AM. The framework incorporates in-situ temperature data gathered during the manufacturing process, combining it with physics-informed inputs and a custom loss function. The approach is demonstrated through two case studies. In the first case, using a small set of experimental data, the model achieves an error below 3 % with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 11 °C. In the second case, using simulation data, the model achieves an error below 1 % with an MAE of 7 °C. In addition, the framework shows promising adaptability for different metal AM scenarios with different geometries, deposition patterns, and process parameters.