Nondestructive Testing and Metrology for Advanced Manufacturing

Dear Colleagues,

Metallic additive manufacturing (AM) is very popular in various industries (aerospace, defense, nuclear, etc.) and in the medical sector, particularly the powder bed fusion (PBF) and directed energy deposition (DED) categories of processes, but binder jetting is progressively emerging. In such critical sectors, integrity and geometrical conformity to the numerical design of the manufactured parts need to be demonstrated.

First, to limit the defects and deviations from the numerical design, the implementation of digital twins of the AM process chain is a solution. Second, to limit the defects during the AM process, the monitoring of the process, coupled with a feedback loop, involving artificial intelligence (AI), is a solution. Third, to detect defects and deviations in the post-process AM parts, nondestructive testing (NDT) and metrology are required. However, the complexity in shape enabled by AM, including internal structures and the rough surface finish, poses a challenge to the quality control of AM parts. X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT), implementing cone beam or synchrotron radiation, is the most performed NDT method as it enables NDT and metrology. However, linear and nonlinear Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (RUS), swept sine methods, and the Impulse Excitation Method (IEM) are alternative very highly performing methods for NDT. Moreover, considering dense and large DED parts, tomosynthesis and Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) are more adapted. In addition, the potential for the inspection of these NDT methods can be increased by the implementation of AI, allowing the operator's influence to be limited.

Dr. Anne Francoise Obaton
Guest Editor

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