A Framework for Process Inspection of Metal Additive Manufacturing

In this paper, we propose a process inspection framework for metal additive manufacturing (AM) processes. AM, also known as 3D printing, is the process of joining materials to make objects on the basis of 3D model data and is envisioned to play a strategic role in maintaining economic and scientific dominance. Different from conventional manufacturing methods, the AM process is a point-by-point and layer-by-layer manufacturing. Thus, there are many opportunities to generate a process error that can cause quality issues in an AM part. A systematic AM process inspection is needed to yield acceptable performance of the part. The critical parameters that may affect the part quality are identified before processing, during processing, and after processing. The framework of the initial AM process inspection is presented. By using basic sensors, such as a microhardness tester and profilometer, we can obtain critical information about an additive manufactured part.