Abstract: Residual stresses in thin-walled parts manufactured with selective laser melting can lead to deformation and even cracking in the part. A partitioned scanning path planning strategy based on medial axis transformation was proposed to reduce the residual stress and control the distribution. Firstly, the medial axis transformation of the layered solid area was computed, and then the layered solid area was divided into main areas and connecting areas, according to the pruned medial axis. A sinusoidal scanning path and a regular triangle mesh scanning path were designed for the main area and the connecting area, respectively. Finally, the result of a typical multi-connected and thin-walled model was yielded. 

Key words: selective laser melting, thin-walled parts, partitioned scanning, medial axis transformation, path planning