Process Intermittent Measurement for Powder-Bed Based Additive Manufacturing

Process intermittent measurements of parts fabricated by additive manufacturing (AM) can enable both process improvement and characterization of internal part geometries. The planar, layer-upon-layer nature of most AM processes allows two-dimensional geometric measurements with a vision system, because the part’s current layer is continually in focus. Proof of this concept has been shown through measurement of parts made using a three-dimensional (3D) printer. Process intermittent measurements were compared to contact and non-contact measurements of the finished parts to characterize deviations in printed layer positions and changes in part dimensions resulting from post-process treatments.