For the full technical report, contact niall@phase-3d.com
Phase3D (formerly Additive Monitoring Systems) wraps up a Cooperative Research and Development project with the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
December 2022 — The Phase3D team completes the final Phase I visit to the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (MDF) with POC Dr. Amy Elliott — the Robotic and Intelligent Systems group leader. Phase3D has been collecting in-situ inspection data on the MDF’s Innovent+ (a binder jetting- BJ AM platform) during copper, steel, and silicon carbide 3D printing. Using Project Fringe, a layer inspection technology developed for AM, Phase3D collected data showcasing multiple printing anomalies which are invisible to the naked eye and even high resolution visual-spectrum images.
This collaboration was set into place to investigate the ballistic effect of binder deposition during BJ AM and to develop methods to improve efficiencies of BJF.
To achieve this goal, Phase3D integrated their in-situ inspection system, Project Fringe, to verify part quality in real-time to mitigate the effects of late stage part rejection with real-time inspection. Additionally, real-time layer-wise monitoring was used during the parametric development of experimental design and process establishment to view impacts of printing on material solidification.
Although cited within the literature, there is a general absence in studies which investigate quantified impacts of ballistic effects and layer height features on final parts in BJF. This provided a space for a novel contribution resulting from this technical collaboration. Results were recorded which pave the way for the phase II Technical Collaboration proposal, expected to begin in Q2 2023. The example below shows a comparison between a visual image and the height data obtained by Project Fringe.
Apparent in the Project Fringe height data, there is an area of powder-binder interaction creating cascading defects, on only one side of the build surface. Experts at Oak Ridge National Laboratory hypothesize that this phenomenon is due to improper powder dosing and non-uniform binder dosing across the build surface. It is noted that this contrast is not detected in the visual image (above) and completely undetectable with the naked eye.
Phase3D is excited to continue development of in-situ monitoring for BJF techniques — a very promising method of AM which has seen a lack of process monitoring and in-situ certification.
For the full technical report, contact niall@phase-3d.com
