Optical Sensor Calibration for Real-Time Additive Manufacturing Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Additive manufacturing processes face challenges in non-destructively verifying the quality of parts due to limitations in conventional quality assurance methods, which often require destruction of the part and cannot be applied to production parts, especially when using welding processes with moving regions of intense thermal energy.
Innovation Solution
The method involves monitoring the temperature of a build plane using optical sensors to detect phase changes and calibrate heat supply, adjusting the heat source's energy based on calibrated temperature data to ensure consistent weld pool size and temperature, thereby enhancing quality control without destructive testing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional quality assurance testing is used, then quality verification is achieved, but the part must be destroyed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical/physical destructive testing methods with optical sensing systems that detect thermal radiation and phase changes during the additive manufacturing process, enabling non-contact, non-destructive quality monitoring
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces optical sensors as intermediaries that detect thermal energy and phase change emissions from the material during processing, allowing indirect measurement of quality parameters without direct contact or destruction of the part
2Measurement precision
If multiple optical sensors are used for monitoring, then measurement accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the known phase transition temperatures of the material as reference points for sensor calibration, allowing multiple sensors to be synchronized and calibrated against these inherent material characteristics rather than requiring complex external calibration equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The material itself serves as the calibration reference through its inherent phase change properties, eliminating the need for external calibration standards or complex inter-sensor calibration procedures
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
This approach allows for real-time monitoring and adjustment of the additive manufacturing process, improving the consistency and quality of the parts produced by maintaining optimal weld pool size and temperature, thus addressing the limitations of conventional quality assurance methods.
Implementation Method 1
monitoring the temperature of a first portion of a build plane during an additive manufacturing operation with a first optical temperature sensor
Implementation Method 2
detecting a change in state of material within the first portion as a heat source passes through the first portion of the build plane with the first sensor
Data Source
AI summary
This invention teaches a multi-sensor quality inference system for additive manufacturing. This invention still further teaches a quality system that is capable of discerning and addressing three quality issues: i) process anomalies, or extreme unpredictable events uncorrelated to process inputs; ii) process variations, or difference between desired process parameters and actual operating conditions; and iii) material structure and properties, or the quality of the resultant material created by the Additive Manufacturing process. This invention further teaches experimental observations of the Additive Manufacturing process made only in a Lagrangian frame of reference. This invention even further teaches the use of the gathered sensor data to evaluate and control additive manufacturing operations in real time.