Additive manufacturing (AM) software provider Gravity Pull Systems has released an updated version of its Personal AM Assistant (PAAM) software, built to automate toolpath optimization for metal laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) systems. According to the company, the tool is intended to help AM users detect, measure, and reduce risks tied to toolpath behavior before a build begins.
The company states that toolpath behavior influences several build-critical factors, including local part quality, the probability of porosity, interactions between multiple lasers, sensitivity to gas flow, build duration, and production costs. In regulated industries, toolpath issues can also complicate requalification processes.
Software Capabilities
PAAM inspects slicer and build files, analyzes scan-path behavior, and identifies both geometry-driven and process-driven risk factors. Based on this analysis, it applies controlled adjustments to toolpaths and parameters, including corrective actions on a per-print basis. The software optimizes scan behavior for printability, quality, productivity, and qualification requirements without requiring manually created scripts or scan strategies, and does not rely on large datasets to apply its process knowledge and algorithmic adjustments. Gravity Pull Systems says this reduces manual setup time, the need for expert intervention, engineering iterations, and the potential for human error in toolpath-related decisions.
A partner at Gravity Pull Systems said metal AM service providers and regulated manufacturers “need more than better build preparation—they require greater build confidence.” The partner added that PAAM “makes hidden toolpath risks visible, measurable, and correctable before the first build,” with the intent of reducing trial-and-error and helping users assess the production and qualification impact of changes before those changes become costly.
Integration and Availability
PAAM has been integrated into workflows connected to EOS, Nikon SLM Solutions, Aconity, and Materialise systems. Oerlikon AM has licensed the software, which has also been tested in industrial aerospace applications. Gravity Pull Systems is now opening selected PAAM Diagnostic Benchmark projects to metal AM service providers and industrial users.
Addressing the Confidence Gap in Metal AM Production
Gravity Pull Systems’ strategy with PAAM centers on catching toolpath risks before a build starts, a factor that affects part quality, multi-laser coordination, and qualification outcomes but has typically required manual expertise to manage. The approach reflects a broader shift in metal AM toward reducing trial-and-error as production volumes and regulatory requirements increase.
Existing software tackles different sources of pre-build risk, from geometry distortion to material-specific toolpath behavior. Amphyon simulation software, developed by Additive Works, simulates a build virtually before printing to flag problem areas tied to part orientation, support placement, and thermal behavior, and can automatically compensate part geometry for predicted distortion. That correction works at the geometry level; PAAM’s stated focus is the toolpath and scan-path layer itself.
Elsewhere, Alloyed described developing customized toolpath algorithms to manage multi-laser interference when processing high-emission materials like magnesium, a challenge related to the scan-path behavior PAAM is designed to flag. That solution addresses one interference case; PAAM, by contrast, is designed to analyze toolpath behavior automatically and has been integrated into workflows connected to EOS, Nikon SLM Solutions, Aconity, and Materialise systems.
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Featured image shows Synoptik’s virtual 3D space can be used to visualize a manufacturing facility. Image via Gravity Pull Systems.
