Systems and methods for additive manufacturing operations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current additive manufacturing processes lack effective non-destructive methods for verifying the mechanical, geometrical, and metallurgical properties of production parts, as conventional quality assurance testing often requires destructive testing, which is not applicable to production parts.
Innovation Solution
The application of optical sensing techniques using near infrared and near ultraviolet spectrums to monitor in-process physical phenomena and extract features associated with heat sources, enabling the analysis of material responses and process conditions for quality inference and process control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional quality assurance testing is used to verify part properties, then measurement precision is improved, but the part is destroyed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical/physical contact-based destructive testing methods with optical sensing systems that use light (electromagnetic radiation) to probe material properties. Optical sensors detect changes in light absorption, reflection, or transmission as materials transition between solid and liquid states during additive manufacturing, enabling quality verification without physical contact or destruction of the part.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces optical sensors as an intermediary between the manufacturing process and quality assessment. These sensors act as mediators that indirectly measure material properties through optical interactions during the building process, allowing quality inference without directly manipulating or destroying the test subject (the part itself).
2Measurement precision
If destructive testing is applied to validate part quality, then measurement precision is improved, but productivity is reduced due to part loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements quality monitoring during the additive manufacturing process itself, performing quality assessment actions before the building process completes. By detecting anomalies in real-time during construction, the system can identify defective parts early, preventing waste of subsequent material and processing time that would be required to complete obviously defective parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces post-manufacturing destructive testing with in-process optical monitoring, eliminating the need to complete and then test parts. This substitution allows continuous quality verification during production without interrupting the manufacturing flow or requiring separate testing stages that would reduce overall productivity.
3Reliability
If optical sensing is used to monitor in-process physical phenomena, then reliability is improved through non-destructive testing, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs optical sensors that serve multiple functions: they monitor phase transitions (solid-liquid changes), track material temperature indirectly through optical properties, detect surface formation, and identify potential defects. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized sensors for each measurement type, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while maintaining comprehensive quality monitoring capability.
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 non-destructive verification of mechanical, geometrical, and metallurgical properties by tracking in-process physical behaviors and extracting features from thermal data, allowing for the identification of nominal or off-nominal process conditions, thereby improving the quality assurance of additive manufacturing products.
Implementation Method 1
An optical sensing system is provided for use with an additive manufacturing process which involves the addition of material and the application of thermal energy with a scanning heat source
Implementation Method 2
additive manufacturing can be carried out by using any of a number of various processes that involve the formation of a three dimensional part of virtually any shape. The various processes have in common the sintering, curing or melting of liquid, powdered or granular raw material, layer by layer using ultraviolet light, high powered laser, or electron beam
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure describes various system and methods for monitoring photons emitted by a heat source of an additive manufacturing device. Sensor data recorded while monitoring the photons can be used to predict metallurgical, mechanical and geometrical properties of a part produced during an additive manufacturing operation. In some embodiments, a test pattern can be used to calibrate an additive manufacturing device.