A method for depositing clad material (24) onto a substrate (10) by melting a layer of powdered material (16) using an energy beam (20), and also applying vibratory mechanical energy (27, 29 and/or 31). The vibratory mechanical energy may be applied before, during or after the melting and solidification of the powdered material in order to preheat the powder, to distribute powder over a top surface (18) of the substrate, to control the formation of dendrites in the clad material as the melt pool (22) solidifies, to remove slag, and/or to perform stress relief. Simultaneous application of beam energy and vibratory mechanical energy facilitates the continuous deposition of the clad material, including directionally solidified material.