METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MONITORING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES

摘要

This invention teaches a quality assurance system for additive manufacturing. This invention teaches a multi-sensor, real-time quality system including sensors, affiliated hardware, and data processing algorithms that are Lagrangian-Eulerian with respect to the reference frames of its associated input measurements. The quality system for Additive Manufacturing is capable of measuring true in-process state variables associated with an additive manufacturing process, i.e. those in-process variables that define a feasible process space within which the process is deemed nominal. The in-process state variables can also be correlated to the part structure or microstructure and can then be useful in identifying particular locations within the part likely to include defects.

主权项

1. An automated additive manufacturing apparatus for producing a part on a powder bed, the automated manufacturing apparatus comprising:
a heat source; a processor; a scan head configured to direct energy received from the heat source towards a layer of powder arranged on the powder bed in a pattern defined by the processor that corresponds to a shape of the part; a first optical sensor configured to determine a temperature associated with a fixed portion of the part; and a second optical sensor configured to receive light emitted by a portion of the layer of powder being melted by the energy from the heat source through the scan head, wherein the processor is configured to receive sensor data from the first and second optical sensors during an additive manufacturing operation to characterize a quality of various portions of the part.