Quality Management

Quality control and assurance in additive manufacturing

© Fraunhofer IPK
CT scan of defects in an additive manufactured part

Stable processes and optimized quality management are prerequisites for the integration and use of additive technologies in industrial production. Reliable information about the mechanical properties of the manufactured parts is just as important as intelligent monitoring and documentation strategies for processes and systems in powder bed and cladding welding.

In practice, quality control of manufactured components often takes place after the manufacturing process. This is time consuming and costly. We develop solutions to monitor relevant factors during the construction process, using state-of-the-art testing methods and sensor technology. Overall, we work with you to establish a comprehensive quality management strategy along the entire process chain, enabling you to achieve robust additive volume production.

What we offer

  • Feasibility and parameter studies to optimize quality
  • Multi-laser strategies for processing difficult-to-weld materials
  • Powder qualification (shape, particle size, chemical composition, etc.)
  • Inspection of additive manufactured components
  • Process monitoring, data management and analysis
  • Use of artificial intelligence for quality assurance

Industrial Applications

  • Qualification of high performance metal powders
  • Implementation and evaluation of inline process monitoring (e.g. temperature, spectrometry)
  • Failure analysis and root cause analysis
  • Analysis of microstructure and mechanical/technological properties
  • High temperature testing for thermal engineering

Technical Equipment

  • Camsizer X2
  • Pyrometer Sensortherm M322
  • Micro Epsilon laser distance sensor
  • Metallography
  • Scanning electron microscope (SEM)
  • 3D motion and deformation sensor ARAMIS
  • Optical surface measuring device Alicona InfiniteFocus
  • 3D scanner GOM ATOS
  • ZWICK/Roell tensile testing system

Selected References

QualiPro

Together with partners from industry and academia, we develop quality routines along the additive process chain.

Certify as you build

We use artificial neural networks to capture key process parameters during additive manufacturing to make predictions about part quality.