Additive Manufacturing Quality Testing via Electrical Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for quality testing of additively manufactured design pieces are time-consuming, require expensive equipment, and destroy the sample piece, making it difficult to determine imperfections such as voids and porosity effectively.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of a sample piece during the same additive manufacturing cycle as the design piece, where an electrical current is introduced and measured to determine imperfections based on resistance or conductance, allowing for quick and non-destructive testing without the need for costly equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional tensile testing is performed on sample pieces to determine imperfections, then measurement precision is improved, but time consumption increases and sample destruction occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical tensile testing with electrical resistance measurement. Instead of applying mechanical loads to deform and break the sample, the invention introduces electrical current through contacts on the sample piece and measures resistance changes, which indicate imperfections without mechanical destruction or time-consuming procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a sample piece that is a simplified copy or representative portion of the design piece, constructed during the same additive manufacturing cycle. This sample contains the same material characteristics and imperfections but requires minimal processing for testing, allowing rapid assessment without testing the entire design piece.
2Measurement precision
If traditional tensile testing equipment is used to measure sample properties, then measurement precision is improved, but device cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses inexpensive electrical measurement devices (multimeter, LCR meter) instead of costly tensile testing machines. The sample piece itself serves as a disposable test subject that can be quickly measured and discarded, eliminating the need for expensive reusable testing equipment while maintaining adequate measurement precision for quality control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes complex mechanical testing apparatus with simple electrical measurement equipment. By measuring electrical resistance through contacts on the sample, the invention achieves material property assessment using basic electrical instruments rather than sophisticated mechanical testing systems.
3Measurement precision
If sample pieces are destroyed during testing to determine imperfections, then measurement precision is improved, but productivity decreases due to inability to retest
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces destructive mechanical testing with non-destructive electrical measurement. Electrical resistance can be measured multiple times on the same sample piece without altering or damaging it, enabling repeated testing to verify results or monitor changes over time, thereby improving productivity while maintaining measurement precision.
4Reliability
If sample pieces are quarantined during testing to ensure quality, then reliability is improved, but loss of time increases due to delayed release for use
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs quality testing on sample pieces during or immediately after the additive manufacturing cycle, before the design piece is released for use. By constructing sample pieces simultaneously with design pieces and testing them promptly using rapid electrical measurement, the method provides quality assurance without requiring extended quarantine periods, thus maintaining reliability while minimizing time loss.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables rapid and accurate determination of imperfections in additively manufactured materials, allowing for timely assessment of design piece properties without sample destruction, and can be performed multiple times on the same sample piece.
Implementation Method 1
introducing a first electrical current to the sample piece, measuring a resistance of the first electrical current through the sample piece
Data Source
AI summary
A method of determining an amount of imperfection in an additively manufactured material is disclosed herein. The method includes forming a sample piece constructed from the material during a same additive manufacturing cycle as a design piece constructed from the material, introducing a first electrical current to the sample piece while maintaining the sample piece at a reference temperature, and determining the amount of imperfection in the material depending on the measured resistance and the reference temperature of the sample piece.