Industrial process selection often fails because the team compares process names instead of comparing what the part actually needs. The Exafuse decider keeps the first screen practical.
The short answer
The decider checks whether the job is a new build, repair, cladding or modification, then screens dimensions, approximate mass, detail level and commercial pressure. The output is not "the answer forever." It is the strongest first route to review.
Inputs the decider uses
- Job type: full part, repair, cladding or modification.
- Rough dimensions and approximate part or buildup mass.
- Detail level: standard geometry, fine features, internal channels or large simple buildup.
- Commercial pressure: scale, speed, detail or balanced review.
How the logic works
LMD becomes stronger when the value sits in local material addition, large scale, repair access or near-net-shape buildup followed by finishing. SLM / LPBF becomes stronger when the value sits in compact geometry, internal features, finer integrated detail and a powder-bed route. A hybrid route becomes stronger when additive geometry and conventional finishing both create value.
Platform and geometry screen
The decider uses the approved Exafuse SLM context as a screen, not a final machine reservation: a 400 mm round platform and 400 mm build height. A rectangular 400 x 400 mm envelope is not treated as a safe SLM fit, because the XY diagonal exceeds a 400 mm round platform. If length, width or height are missing or zero, the tool asks for better geometry instead of pretending to know the route.
What the decider cannot know alone
It cannot fully assess material compatibility, substrate condition, powder availability, distortion risk, finishing cost or inspection scope. Those questions still belong in technical review.
Why this logic matters commercially
A weak process choice wastes time twice: first in quoting, then in engineering. A good first screen does not replace feasibility review, but it prevents buyer teams from starting in the wrong lane.
Companion examples
Read A45: choosing LMD for a large repair component and A46: why SLM fits compact internal-channel geometry to see how the same screening logic leads to different process directions.
Useful next pages
Use the LMD or SLM decider, A04: LMD vs SLM matrix, A18: Hybrid manufacturing with LMD and CNC and Metal AM together for a fuller route discussion.
