Process Monitoring of Direct Metal Laser Sintering

Additive Manufacture (AM) has the potential to redefine design rules, use novel materials in unique structures, and provide components impossible to make by other methods. 3TRPD is the largest UK bureau supplying AM products to UK industries using Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS). All AM machines currently are open loop, which can produce process variance of components. The key objective and focus of this feasibility study is to establish a method to monitor the process from the part under production. Advances in this technique will have applications in industrial sectors ranging from aerospace components to medical devices.