Introduction

In the Additive Manufacturing Scenario Creation app of the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform (SIMULIA), the Event Series feature is used to define the sequence and timing of thermal or mechanical events that occur during the additive manufacturing (AM) process simulation, such as laser scanning, recoating, or cooling.

What is an Event Series?

An Event Series in the AM Scenario Creation app represents a time-ordered list of process events applied to the build.
Each event corresponds to an action in the additive process, like:

• Layer addition (powder deposition)
• Laser exposure/scan path
• Dwell time (cooling period)
• Baseplate heating or recoater movement

These events are key inputs for process simulation (thermal, mechanical, or coupled analysis) using SIMULIA solvers like Abaqus or AME Additive Manufacturing Process Simulation (AMPS).

Purpose of the Event Series

The Event Series defines when and where energy or material is introduced, and allows the solver to replicate the real build sequence layer by layer.

You can think of it as the “timeline of the manufacturing process.”
It helps in:

• Capturing transient thermal behavior
• Simulating residual stresses and distortions
• Controlling deposition sequence and scanning patterns
• Linking manufacturing parameters (laser speed, power, hatch spacing) to thermal input

How Event Series are Defined

Event series can be:

• Imported from a Build File (e.g., .csv or machine output containing scan strategy)
• Generated Automatically from a defined Build Strategy
• Manually Defined for simplified simulations (e.g., lumped heat input per layer)

Each event is linked to a geometric region (scan track or layer) and has parameters like:

• Start time / duration
• Power / heat flux
• Scan speed
• Path coordinates
• Material or layer ID

Integration with Simulation

• Event Series are executed by the AME Process Simulation (Additive Manufacturing Extension) or Abaqus AM Model.
• In Abaqus, these correspond to model change (activation) and heat flux events.
• The Event Series drives layer activation, temperature boundary conditions, and time-dependent loads.