22/11/2021

Additive manufacturing with the laser beam

The aim of the ATLAMP project is to bring the quality insurance of AM parts to a totally new level

Source: BAM

Project period

01/06/2021 - 18/08/2023

Project type

Collaborative research project

Project status

Closed

Description

In the ATLAMP project, a two-stage in-situ monitoring system is being developed for the L-PBF process, an additive manufacturing process for metallic components.

Location

Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)
Unter den Eichen 87
12205 Berlin

Subject

In this project, a novel in-situ monitoring system for metal powder bed-based additive manufacturing (AM) processes is developed. Passive optical tomography and active laser thermography are combined as imaging methods and are interpreted using machine learning. The process data acquired with this system makes it possible to detect cracks directly during the AM process for the first time. By adjusting the process parameters, these defects are healed throughout manufacturing. This system therefore represents a disruptive development in the field of AM process monitoring.

Goal

The objective is to integrate enhanced quality assurance into the additive manufacturing process through optimized measurement technology. This guarantees increased component safety and reliability for additively manufactured components while ensuring sustainable production. With the thereby gained understanding of the AM process itself and through the tracing of component quality, additive manufacturing can be further established in industries with high safety relevance such as aviation. A subsequent integration into other AM systems is possible as well.

Methods

The elements of the planned process monitoring system will be developed at a specifically designed L-PBF research machine and are combined afterwards as a system (Laser Powder Bed Fusion, L-PBF). The focus lies here on the investigation and optimization of suitable camera systems and machine learning-based analysis algorithms. The system is validated on the manufactured components with the help of destructive and non-destructive testing methods.

Project coordination

Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)
Thermographic Methods division

Partner

ThetaScan GmbH

Funding

Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM),
Project management organization: VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH

Read more on the ATLAMP project on our German website.

further information