An ensemble of ontological models for intelligent support of laser additive manufacturing processes

Barriers hindering the use of additive manufacturing processes for metal parts production are discussed. The necessity of integrating an intelligent decision support system (DSS) into the professional activities of laser additive manufacturing engineers is substantiated. The advantages of the developed ontological two-level approach for forming semantic information are highlighted. This approach's peculiarity lies in separating ontological models from the databases and knowledge formed on their basis-target information. The ontology dictates the rules for the structured formation and interpretation of target information. An ensemble of ontological models, forming the foundation of the developed intelligent system, is presented. The composition of the ensemble, the purpose of its individual components, and possible types of connections between them are described. The ensemble includes ontologies for reference databases on equipment and materials for laser additive manufacturing, an archive of protocols for technological operations of laser processing, a knowledge base about settings for laser processing modes, and a database of mathematical models. The ensemble of ontological models is implemented on the IACPaaS cloud platform using its tools. Ontologies, databases, knowledge bases, and a decision support system are part of the Laser Additive Manufacturing Knowledge Portal. Accumulating and using the knowledge and experience from different technologists in the portal will reduce the number of preliminary experiments needed to identify suitable technological modes and lower the qualification requirements for users of technological equipment.