QUALITY ASSURANCE IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Securing and verifying quality standards in 3D printing
Additive manufacturing is a trendsetting sector that already has one foot in series production. However, consistent quality assurance is still a challenge for many providers. With Quality Analysis you have an experienced partner for acclaimed quality assurance at your side from the start. We offer a suitable analysis method for every process step. Our experts are available to assist you and find a solution. Our service also includes highly precise results and evaluations in accordance with the standards.
Your contact person for Additive Manufacturing
POWDER AND MATERIAL CHARACTERISTICS
Analyse the quality of your powder and shorten your development process: with industrial computed tomography and high-resolution microscopy, we optimise process parameters and reduce the probability of defects at an early stage.
DEFECTS IN MANUFACTURE
How likely are defects in your manufacturing process? Here it is important to know the density of the structure because it is a crucial factor for preventing defects in the manufacturing process. The density is specified by the size distribution of the powder particles. Using industrial computed tomography, we identify the shape, size, density and the volume ratio of particles. With this information you can reduce the probability of defects.
OPTIMISED PRINTING PROCESSES
Optimise your printing process: The more you know about your material, the more efficiently you can use it. We use high-resolution microscopy to depict the powder particles in your components with high resolution in the nanometre range. The subsequent morphological analysis and material identification using EDX analysis provide you with the necessary information so you can better evaluate the base material and design the printing process so it is more efficient.
MATERIAL TESTING
Your component has been printed. What does it look like inside? What characteristics does it have? With our material testing we can detect possible defects in the printing process at an early stage. Here we use non-destructive and destructive analyses and check the characteristics of the component and the material after printing using both industrial computed tomography and microscopic analyses.
NON-DESTRUCTIVE VIEW OF THE INSIDE
We test your material without destroying it. For example, we can detect possible cracks and pores using industrial computed tomography. Depending on the testing task and features tested, we depict your component in various resolutions.
MATERIAL TESTING ON PREPARED SPECIMEN
How can you improve the manufacturing process? Using high-resolution microscopy we analyse a prepared specimen on your component (destructive material testing). We analyse the formation of pores and cracks as well as the microstructure and layer structure. We also determine for you the alloy composition and the hardness of the material. With this information you can optimise your processes.
DEFECT AND INTERNAL STRUCTURE TESTING
Erroneous process parameters can result in flaws in the material microstructure. We detect and localise such flaws for you, for instance delaminations, pores and failure mechanisms on the component. For this purpose we use non-destructive and destructive analyses.
VERIFYING DELAMINATIONS
Incorrect process parameters in manufacture or poor quality powder can cause the formation of delaminations. Using industrial computed tomography we localise delaminations, i.e. the removal of coatings in composite materials, in the material microstructure without destroying your component. We use light microscopy to depict the delaminations in high resolution and measure their dimensions. In this way you can identify, trace and prevent faults in the manufacturing process.
ANALYSING PORES AND CAVITIES
A porous component can suffer damage and cracks. The porosity analysis provides information on the proportion of pores in the component. With non-destructive test methods, such as industrial computed tomography, we analyse the position and the quantity of pores, cavities and the cavity-volume ratio. On a prepared specimen we depict the size and volume of the pores and dimension them.
ANALYSING FAILURE MECHANISMS
The most frequent sources of defects in additive manufacturing include cracks, inclusion of foreign material and unsatisfactory fusion on the component. The result is mostly component failure. Microscopic analyses can answer questions about the cause and probable consequences. The analysis methods make the causes of the failure mechanisms visible and form the basis for the subsequent optimisation of the manufacturing process.
DIMENSIONAL INSPECTION AND SURFACE TESTING
There are important prerequisites for the accurate assembly and correct function of your components: the surface must have the correct characteristics and all stipulated dimensions must be met. We analyse both these aspects using various analysis methods: depending on the measuring task, we use industrial computed tomography, tactile or optical metrology.
NON-DESTRUCTIVE: INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL GEOMETRY
Using industrial computed tomography we analyse complex internal and external geometry non-destructively, independent of size, weight, density and material. This type of analysis is ideal for monitoring and optimising your manufacturing process.
LOWEST TOLERANCES IN THE DIMENSIONAL ACCURACY
We check the dimensional accuracy of individual additively manufactured components with very low tolerances using tactile metrology. We measure relevant inspection features quickly and highly precisely. The perfect measurement method for random or hundred-percent quality control.
COMPONENT SURFACES FOR LARGE COMPONENT GEOMETRY
A 3D scanner digitises the component surface without contact, quickly and with very high point density, and then analyses it. Using optical metrology we can therefore evaluate a large number of measured points. Optical metrology is particularly suitable for large assemblies or if you want to evaluate the external contours.
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Materialography
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QUALITY ANALYSIS,
YOUR PARTNER FOR YOUR ANALYSIS TASKS IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
What can we analyse for you?
We would be pleased to advise you about the numerous possibilities and combined analysis methods.
The goal: the best, most cost-effective and most efficient analysis of your component.
Call us, we look forward to hearing from you!