Selective NDT Sensor Activation for Additive Manufacturing Regions of Interest
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Solution Overview
Problem
Additive manufacturing (AM) faces challenges in non-destructive testing (NDT) of metal pieces due to resource-intensive full coverage scanning, which is costly and reveals confidential internal geometry information, making it inefficient and insecure for quality certification.
Innovation Solution
A method using selectively activated NDT sensors aligned with regions of interest identified in a 3D digital model, allowing for targeted data retrieval on metal piece properties during manufacturing, while maintaining confidentiality and optimizing resource usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If full coverage scanning is performed on all layers of the metal piece, then complete quality inspection is achieved, but resource consumption and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The build volume is divided into multiple layers, and within each layer, only specific regions of interest are selected for scanning instead of the entire layer. This segmentation allows the system to focus inspection resources on critical areas while skipping non-critical regions, thereby reducing resource consumption while maintaining quality inspection effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the metal piece are treated differently based on their quality requirements. Regions of interest that are more likely to present defects receive detailed scanning, while other regions receive reduced or no scanning. This local quality approach optimizes resource allocation by applying inspection intensity proportional to the actual quality needs of each region.
2Reliability
If full coverage scanning is performed on all layers of the metal piece, then complete quality inspection is achieved, but the process becomes time consuming and less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection process is segmented into layer-by-layer scanning with selective region focus. By dividing the build volume into layers and further into regions of interest, the system processes only necessary areas at each stage, significantly reducing total inspection time while maintaining comprehensive quality coverage of critical regions.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of performing excessive full coverage scanning, the system applies partial action by scanning only the necessary regions of interest. This partial scanning approach is sufficient for quality certification purposes and eliminates unnecessary inspection time spent on non-critical areas, thereby improving productivity.
3Reliability
If full coverage scanning reveals all internal geometry details, then complete quality data is obtained, but confidential intellectual property is exposed
Solution Approach 1:
The scanning process is segmented to focus only on regions of interest rather than capturing the entire internal geometry. This selective segmentation obtains sufficient quality data for certification while excluding confidential design information from regions that do not require inspection, thereby protecting intellectual property.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts only the necessary quality information from regions of interest and leaves confidential internal geometry information untouched. By taking out only the essential inspection data needed for quality certification and excluding unnecessary confidential details, the system maintains both quality assurance and intellectual property protection.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of monitoring metal pieces including generating, on a computing device, a 3D digital model of a metal piece to be produced by additive manufacturing; and identifying regions of interest in the model where defects are more likely to occur during manufacturing The regions of interest are identified using software to check the model according to specific design rules. N NDT sensors are either: selectively activated among a total of M NDT sensors, or mounted on a sensor supporting structure at specific locations along an axis. The N NDT sensors are selectively activated or mounted as a function of the regions of interest identified in the model to retrieve data on the properties of the quality of metal parts of the metal piece only for the corresponding regions of interest of the metal piece during its additive manufacturing. Also, a system is configured to carry out the method.