The University of Houston is working with Texas A&M University to develop better real-time monitoring and analysis of 3D printing. The aim is to ensure consistent quality and reproducibility throughout the entire production process.
Currently, quality control and qualification of metal AM parts is mostly done through post-process inspections, but it is ideal to evaluate a wide range of subsurface and overall microstructural features in real time and at the speed of manufacturing in an AM mold.
“The objective of our project is to accomplish this goal by the development of real-time, comprehensive, in-situ sub-surface and bulk structural analysis of AM parts during fabrication, and integration with multi-modal data from various in-situ sensors, that can bridge the critical knowledge gap between process conditions and properties,” said Venkat Selvamanickam, M.D. Anderson Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UH.
Since its inception in 2018, the AMI has served as a central hub for the scaling and commercialization of technologies developed by UH faculty members, facilitating the transition from idea to manufacturing and ultimately to market. The additive manufacturing project follows a successful track record of the AMI in scaling up superconductor manufacturing technologies for industrial applications.
“We will design, construct and install a custom in-line 2D-XRD in the hybrid Directed Energy Deposition tool in AMI facilities at University of Houston. This tool offers a robust platform that includes features such as multi-material deposition (for spot-alloying and functional grading) and several in-situ sensors for process monitoring,” said Selvamanickam.
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