US Department of Defense awards contract to extend Flightware’s in-situ inspection method

August 27, 2019

News
August 27, 2019

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), a combat support agency in the United States Department of Defense (DoD), has awarded a $1 million contract to a team led by Flightware Inc, headquartered in Guilford, Connecticut, USA, to extend its work in developing an in-situ inspection method for metal Additive Manufacturing.

“DLA is actively applying the benefits of AM to better perform our mission supplying spare parts to the warfighter,” stated, Denise Price, DLA’s Program Manager for the Small Business Innovation Program. “Flightware’s in-situ inspection method can reduce scrap and improve yield, which reduces the cost and lead time of parts made by AM methods.” 

The two-year programme, which includes partners, the Edison Welding Institute (EWI) in Columbus, Ohio, and OpenAdditive, the research division of Universal Technology Corp. (UTC) in Dayton, Ohio, is using a Layer Topographic Mapping (LTM) method to determine melt quality, directly from as-formed layer surface measurements. 

Under the initial effort, Flightware demonstrated that the LTM in-situ method can detect melt flaws, such as lack of fusion, in real time on a layer-by-layer basis with 98.2% detection rate and only 1% false detection. After detecting these flaw regions, appropriate repair procedures were automatically defined and then performed, as a demonstration of closed loop control. 

Flyware states that this essentially eliminated the initial flaw porosity (up to 14%) and the repaired layer was restored to unflawed layer quality (less than 0.2% porosity). This reportedly salvaged the part, and allowed acceptance (based on CT scan results) of a part that otherwise would have been scrapped. 

Under the programme, EWI is developing a large area profilometry sensor to measure the entire bed of the AM machine with high precision. The sensor will reportedly be installed in UTC’s OpenAdditive PANDA printer, a commercial, open architecture, Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) system. Flightware will then refine and improve in-situ inspection algorithms to reliably determine layer quality of both the as-formed melt and the powder bed

www.dla.mil | www.ewi.org | www.openadditive.com

News
August 27, 2019

In the latest issue of Metal AM magazine

Download PDF
 

Extensive AM industry news coverage, as well as the following exclusive deep-dive articles:

  • Back to the future: A decade of Additive Manufacturing innovation and growth at Materials Solutions
  • Win or lose: A CEO’s reflections on Artificial Intelligence and Additive Manufacturing
  • AMS 2025 New York: A reality check for the Additive Manufacturing industry
  • Optimising powder removal in PBF-LB Additive Manufacturing: A Digital Twin approach
  • ValCUN’s MMD: A robust, wire-based aluminium AM technology for defence and industrial applications
  • Enhancing quality and reliability in metal Additive Manufacturing: The role of laser calibration

TRUSTED CONTENT. TARGETED AUDIENCE

Advertise with Metal AM and access a global base of 50,000+ AM professionals.

Contact Jon Craxford: [email protected]

  • AM machines
  • Process monitoring & calibration
  • Heat treatment & sintering
  • HIP systems & services
  • Pre- & post-processing technology
  • Powders, powder production and analysis
  • Part manufacturers
  • Consulting, training & market data

Don’t miss a thing – register for our newsletter

Don't miss any new issue of Metal AM magazine, and get the latest industry news. Sign up to our twice weekly newsletter.

Register now

Join 40,000+ other AM professionals – follow us online

About Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine

Metal AM magazine, published quarterly in digital and print formats, is read by a rapidly expanding international audience.

Our audience includes component manufacturers, end-users, materials and equipment suppliers, analysts, researchers and more.

In addition to providing extensive industry news coverage, Metal AM magazine is known for exclusive, in-depth articles and technical reports.

Our focus is the entire metal AM process from design to application.

Each issue is available as an easy-to-navigate digital edition and a high-quality print publication.

Discover our magazine archive…

The free to access Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine archive offers unparalleled insight into the world of metal Additive Manufacturing from a commercial and technological perspective through:

  • Reports on visits to leading metal AM part manufacturers and industry suppliers
  • Articles on technology and application trends
  • Information on materials developments
  • Reviews of key technical presentations from the international conference circuit
  • International industry news

All past issues are available to download as free PDFs or view in your browser.

Browse the archive

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap