Automated Laser Ultrasonics for Metal 3D Printing Inspection

增材制造（AM）是一种呈指数增长的制造技术，在设计灵活性、浪费和缩短交货期方面提供了许多优于替代方法的优势。更具体地说，WAAM（Wire Arc AM）技术能够生产小型和大型金属结构，同时将制造时间和成本降低约50%。一些替代的减材方法包括锻造和广泛的机械加工，这可能导致更高的成本和材料浪费。我的博士项目的目的是自动化的远程超声波检测的组件使用机器人手段加上激光超声波在WAAM周期进行过程中的非破坏性评估。无损评价（NDE）是制造业中广泛使用的质量保证和结构完整性方法。使用激光超声波而不是基于换能器的超声波可以实现非接触式检测，这是制造业中过程检测的理想选择，因为制造过程会辐射高温。激光超声还可以科普组件的复杂性以及其他优点。

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is an exponentially growing manufacturing technique which offers numerous advantages over alternative methods in terms of design flexibility, waste and lead-time reduction. More specifically, the Wire Arc AM (WAAM) technology enables the production of metal structures both small and large, while reducing the manufacturing duration and cost by approximately 50%. Some of the alternative, subtractive methods include forging and extensive machining which can result in higher costs and material waste. The aim of my PhD project is the automation of remote ultrasonic inspection of components using robotic means coupled with laser ultrasonics to perform in-process Non-Destructive Evaluation during the WAAM cycle. Non-Destructive evaluation (NDE) is a widely used method of quality assurance and structural integrity in the manufacturing industry. Using laser ultrasonics rather than transducer-based ultrasound enables a non-contact inspection which is ideal for in-process inspection in the manufacturing industry, since the manufacturing process radiates high temperatures. Laser ultrasound can also cope with the complexity of the components among other advantages.