SBIR Phase I: Practical On-Machine Inspection Equipment (PROMISE) for Metal Deposition Processes

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将研究和开发一种创新的实用机器检测设备（PROMISE），用于金属沉积工艺。PROMISE将是一个经济有效的、强大的直接金属沉积过程的原位检测系统。直接金属沉积工艺是一种非常有前途的快速制造或修复全致密金属零件的技术。这些工艺使用高功率能源一层一层地沉积金属材料。第一阶段研究项目的目标是探索开发PROMISE的可行性，以经济有效地对每一层的沉积进行现场检查，以便在下一层沉积之前立即采取行动。PROMISE实现技术包括具有成本效益的熔池传感器、熔池建模和创新的传感器系统设计。通过对传感器数据进行适当的处理和控制，可以有效地捕获熔池状况。利用先进的熔池模型，我们可以充分了解激光与材料相互作用的热行为。通过与我们的路径规划系统的集成，我们可以得到一个完整的、鲁棒的传感器系统。由于过程监控和控制，该项目的广泛影响/商业潜力将导致部件一致性和健壮性的显著改善，从而大大减少过程认证的工作量。原位检测过程的自动化程度不足是实现部件质量稳健性和一致性的最大障碍。这种质量问题是有害的，因为由于高性能要求，沉积中部的缺陷将破坏整个部分。该技术将大大降低金属沉积机的操作复杂性，从而降低对操作人员的技能要求。这个提议的项目将大大拓宽金属沉积应用的范围，并对设计和制造社会产生重大影响。该技术可用于许多快速成型和快速制造工艺，以及模具和模具维修，以及其他涉及高能量源的制造工艺，如焊接，包层，等离子体，热喷涂，离子束技术等。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will research and develop an innovative Practical On-Machine Inspection Equipment (PROMISE) for metal deposition processes. PROMISE will be a cost-effective and robust in-situ inspection system for direct metal deposition processes. Direct metal deposition processes are a very promising technology to rapidly fabricate or repair fully dense metal parts. These processes use a high power energy source to deposit metal materials layer by layer. The objective of this Phase I research project is to explore the feasibility of developing PROMISE to cost-effectively conduct in-situ inspection for the deposition of each layer so that immediate action can be carried out before the subsequent layer is deposited. The PROMISE enabling technologies include a cost-effective melt pool sensor, melt pool modeling, and innovative sensor system design. With proper processing and control of the sensor data, melt pool conditions can be effectively captured. With advanced melt pool modeling, we can fully understand the thermal behavior of laser-material interactions. Through integration with our path planning system, we can have a complete and a robust sensor system.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will lead to dramatic improvement in part consistency and robustness due to process monitoring and control, thus greatly reducing process certification efforts. Insufficient automation in the in-situ inspection process is the biggest hurdle in achieving robustness and consistency in part quality. This quality issue is detrimental as a defect in the middle section of the deposition will spoil the entire part due to high performance requirements. This proposed technology will greatly reduce the operational complexity of metal deposition machines which will lessen the skill required for operators. This proposed project will then greatly broaden the scope of metal deposition applications and provide a significant impact to the design and manufacturing society. This technology can be used for many rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing processes, as well as mold and die repair, and other manufacturing processes involving a high energy source, such as welding, cladding, plasma, thermal spray, ion beam techniques, etc.