DED-LB/M Terms That Should Not Be Mixed Up

Directed Energy Deposition is a broader additive manufacturing category. Laser Metal Deposition can be understood as a laser-based metal DED route, often connected to the DED-LB/M term.

Laser cladding is often surface- or restoration-focused. SLM/LPBF is a powder-bed process with different geometry, support, tolerance, and post-processing implications.

Melt-pool monitoring is a process-awareness method, not a certificate. Certification or release decisions require inspection and validation evidence appropriate to the part risk.