Additive Assurance has agreed to integrate its in-situ process monitoring system into Additive Industries’ MetalFab laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 3D printers This collaboration seeks to improve metal 3D printing process monitoring in high-value applications.
As the build rate and productivity of metal 3D printers increased, in-process monitoring and quality assurance capabilities are increasing in importance.
This technology plays a critical role in ensuring repeatability, achieving high-reduction yield, and mitigating the risk of wasted material caused by failed builds. As such, Additive Industries will now offer live 3D printer monitoring capabilities to its customer base.
The company’s MetalFab 3D printers will integrate Additive Assurance’s AMiRIS quality inspection system. This unit, which can be mounted directly onto MetalFab, provides live insights into the 3D printing process. This will reportedly strengthen certification and quality assurance efforts, enabling shorter production cycles and greater confidence in the final product.
“Our partnership with Additive Assurance aligns perfectly with our commitment to advancing the capabilities of metal additive manufacturing,” commented Mark Massey, Additive Industries’s CEO.
“By integrating AMiRIS with our MetalFab portfolio, including our new MetalFab 300 Flex, we’re enhancing real-time quality assurance, offering our customers greater flexibility, and setting new standards in production consistency and reliability.”
MetalFab 3D printers integrate in-situ monitoring
Since its founding in 2012, Additive Industries has built a substantial portfolio of industrial LPBF 3D printers. The company launched its first system, the MetalFAB1, back in 2016. The 3D printer has since been leveraged by customers in aerospace, automotive, industrial, energy, and high-tech market verticals.
More recently, during RAPID + TCT 2024, Additive Industries unveiled its newest offering, the MetalFab 300 Flex. This unique system features an extendable build plate that can be accessed through a monthly or lifetime license. Customers can extend the build area from 11.81 x 11.81 x 15.75in to 16.54 x 16.54 x 15.75in at any time, to meet specific application needs.
According to the two companies, AMiRIS is a logical extension to the MetalFab series of LPBF 3D printers. It will reportedly address key quality assurance (QA) challenges faced in industrial applications such as space and aerospace production.
Based in Melbourne, Australia, Additive Assurance introduced the beta version of its metal 3D printing quality assurance platform in 2019. The company launched as a spinout of a project conducted by Monash University and Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group.
Its in-situ monitoring unit enables QA reporting across a fleet of multiple machine types. A patent-pending technology, it uses optical sensors to gather micron-level detail during the 3D printing process. Machine learning is employed to analyse this data, providing insights into the metal additive manufacturing process.
AMiRIS is designed to detect various 3D printing process instabilities. It features adjustable thresholds for tracking, notification and intervention to ensure high 3D printer utilization and quality control.
“We are delighted to be working with Additive Industries to add value to their customer’s experience and to push the boundaries of what is possible with L-PBF AM,” added Marten Jurg, CEO of Additive Assurance.
The partnership will see broader deployment of in-situ monitoring for MetalFab users. This, the companies claim, could lead to greater adoption of LPBF 3D printing in the future.
Defect detection for metal 3D printing
Defect detection and quality assurance have quickly become essential tools for metal 3D printing applications, as manufacturers look to boost productivity, ensure quality, and reduce waste. This demand has seen more companies develop and introduce new process monitoring offerings.
Earlier this year, Chicago-based 3D printing quality assurance software developer Phase3D announced a collaboration with the United States Air Force (USAF) and NASA to develop Fringe Research. This new in-situ monitoring software is said to be the first to measure anomalies during metal powder bed fusion (PBF) 3D printing and correlate these to defects in the final part.
According to Niall O’Dowd, Founder and CEO of Phase3D, the defect-detection software will increase 3D printer throughput by over 10% yearly. This will be achieved by stopping the production of parts that would later fail inspection. In particular, the software is especially well suited to detecting porosity in 3D printed parts. This is a pertinent challenge for aerospace applications. Porosity often causes metal parts to be rejected by the USAF and NASA.
Elsewhere, 3D printing software and services company Materialise offers its AI-powered Process Control software for metal 3D printing. Through this tool, users can analyze data collected during 3D printing to control the quality of their parts.
This allows defective parts to be located before the post-processing and quality inspection stages, saving users time and money. According to Materialise, these steps can add 30% to 70% to the costs of a final part.
Want to help select the winners of the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards? Join the Expert Committee today.
What does the future of 3D printing hold?
What near-term 3D printing trends have been highlighted by industry experts?
Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up to date with the latest 3D printing news.
You can also follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content.
Featured image shows an AMiRIS unit mounted on a MetalFAB G2 3D printer. Photo via Additive Assurance.
