Advancements in Metal Additive Manufacturing & Industrial Metrology for Inspection

An IIT Kanpur alumnus, Vikas boasts of an extensive 26 years long career with vast experience across various functions in the software development space. In a recent interaction with Thiruamuthan (Correspondent, Industry Outlook), Vikas shares his insights on the current metal additives manufacturing sector, along with many other interesting topics such as industrial metrology in metal AM and its impact on product quality.

How are recent breakthroughs in metal additive manufacturing enhancing the quality in industrial applications?

Additive manufacturing continues to witness a significant investment in R&D in every aspect of the process. Attempts are being made to enhance the understanding of material behavior, dynamics of the events in the chamber, and better control of the process to increase the throughput. Also, the increased rate of production is reducing the cost per part, making the process far more attractive and fit for wider adaptation. Typically in powder bed systems, spreading the powder and dispensing the energy (i.e. firing the laser) remains a sequential activity and results in a lot of idle time. Recent breakthroughs in control algorithms and related hardware components are aimed at doing these simultaneously and reducing the build time by up to 50 percent. This coupled with the advancement in melt pool monitoring technologies is allowing significantly better-quality parts and much higher build speeds.

Throw some light on how industry standards are evolving to support the safe and reliable use of metal additive manufacturing.

Industry standards for metal additive manufacturing (AM) are evolving to ensure safe and reliable use. While ASTM and ISO set material, process, and design standards, safety standards cover machine design and powder handling. Additionally, quality assurance standards include non-destructive testing and dimensional metrology, along with a prime emphasis on certification processes and traceability. Furthermore, industrial metrology also provides precise measurement tools for compliance with standards, ensuring the integrity of additively manufactured components.

Tell us about the key challenges manufacturers face while adopting metal additive manufacturing for critical parts.

While there are a variety of challenges that manufacturers adopting metal additive manufacturing for critical parts face, the most noteworthy ones are material selection & certification, maintaining process control & consistency, addressing post-processing complexities, optimizing designs & simulations, navigating regulatory compliance, managing costs, addressing workforce skill gaps, and ensuring a reliable supply chain for metal powders. Overcoming these challenges requires a multidisciplinary approach and careful consideration of factors such as material properties, process control, design complexity, regulatory compliance, and cost-effectiveness. 

What is the impact of emerging technologies on the inspection and quality assurance of metal additive manufacturing products in industrial settings?

Advancements in inspection technologies such as 5-axis scanning and the use of AI in contact & non-contact measurements are now allowing a closer correlation to be developed between designed and actual parts produced. Advanced metrology equipment helps verify the dimensional accuracy, surface finish, and overall quality of components in a single setup enabling AM users to harness the inspection technology to improve the quality of the parts from their additive machines. This inspection data, when fed to upstream build preparation software solutions and simulation tools, assists engineers in addressing design complexities and predicting the behavior of components during the printing process.

On the other hand, the integration of emerging technologies such as digital twins and real-time monitoring has had a significant impact on the inspection and quality assurance processes of metal additive manufacturing products in industrial settings. These technologies enhance efficiency, accuracy, and overall control throughout the additive manufacturing workflow. Furthermore, as metal additive manufacturing becomes more widely adopted in global production processes, the industry needs a reliable method to detect defects at high speeds with impeccable accuracy. Real-time monitoring using in-chamber sensors allows manufacturers to analyze processes in 3D and have a better understanding of the build quality. Additionally, these sensors allow users to view and analyze the hidden details of metal AM products, increasing confidence in the build process. This further allows rapid process optimization to help ensure that the parts meet all necessary quality standards required in critical applications.