Method and device for evaluating the quality of a component produced by means of an additive laser sintering and/or laser melting method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016018320-A1
Application number	US-201414771573-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 27, 2014
Priority date	Mar 6, 2013
Publication date	Jan 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for evaluating the quality of a component ( 10 ) produced by means of an additive laser sintering and/or laser melting method, in particular a component ( 10 ) for an aircraft engine. The method comprises at least the steps of providing a first data set, which comprises spatially resolved color values, which each characterize the temperature of the component ( 10 ) at an associated component location during the laser sintering and/or laser melting of the component ( 10 ), providing a second data set, which comprises spatially resolved color values corresponding to the first data set, which color values each characterize the temperature of a reference component at an associated reference component location during the laser sintering and/or laser melting of the reference component.

First claim

1 . A method for evaluating the quality of a component ( 10 ) produced by means of an additive laser sintering and/or laser melting method, comprising the steps of:
providing a first data set, which comprises spatially resolved color values, which each characterize the temperature of the component ( 10 ) at an associated component location during the laser sintering and/or laser melting of the component ( 10 ); providing a second data set, which comprises spatially resolved color values corresponding to the first data set, said color values each characterizing the temperature of a reference component at an associated reference component location during the laser sintering and/or laser melting of the reference component; determining a difference between the first data set and the second data set; and evaluating the quality of the component ( 10 ) on the basis of the difference between the first data set and the second data set.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the method is carried out one time or multiple times during additive laser sintering and/or laser melting of the component ( 10 ) and/or for at least one line element of the component ( 10 ) and/or for at least one surface area element of the component ( 10 ) and/or for at least one volume element of the component ( 10 ) and/or for the entire component ( 10 ) and/or subsequent to the additive laser sintering and/or laser melting of the component ( 10 ).

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein,
on the basis of the determined difference, at least one other parameter is determined from the group composed of powder consumption, powder condition, laser power, uniformity of powder deposition, layer thickness, travel path of a construction platform used for laser sintering and/or laser melting, strip overlap, irradiation parameters, transferability of the laser sintering and/or laser melting method to a type of laser sintering and/or laser melting equipment that differs from the type of laser sintering and/or laser melting equipment used for manufacture of the reference component, aging phenomena of the laser sintering and/or laser melting equipment used, and machine drift of the laser sintering and/or laser melting equipment used.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the first data set and/or the second data set comprise/comprises at least 1 million and preferably at least 2 million spatially resolved color values.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the first data set and/or the second data set are/is created from measured values that are determined by using a high-resolution detector and/or an optical thermography method.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
gray-scale values are used as color values for the first data set and/or for the second data set.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the difference between the first data set and the second data sent is determined by means of:
a comparison between at least one histogram ( 22 ) of the component ( 10 ) and at least one corresponding histogram ( 20 ) of the reference component; and/or
a cross correlation of the first and second data sets; and/or
an autocorrelation of the first data set and/or the second data set; and/or
a breakdown of the first and/or the second data set into harmonic components; and/or
a determination of at least one line center of gravity and/or at least one surface area center of gravity and/or a volume center of gravity of the component ( 10 ) and/or of the reference component.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
too low an energy input in the laser sintering and/or laser melting process and/or a drop in laser power and/or a contamination of an optical system of the laser sintering and/or laser melting equipment are/is concluded when at least one color value at a component location of the component ( 10 ) is darker than a color value at a corresponding reference component location of the reference component.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
too high an energy input in the laser sintering and/or laser melting process and/or too high a laser power and/or a poor heat conduction in the sintered material powder and/or an incorrect material and/or a contaminated material and/or an aged material are/is concluded when at least one color value at a component location of the component ( 10 ) is brighter than a color value at a corresponding reference component location of the reference component.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the component ( 10 ) is classified as being acceptable when the determined difference lies within predetermined limits, or in that the component ( 10 ) is classified as being not acceptable when the determined difference exceeds the predetermined limits.

11 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising:
providing an additive laser sintering and/or laser melting equipment unit for manufacturing a component ( 10 ), in particular a component ( 10 ) for an aircraft engine; providing a detection device, which is designed to record spatially resolved color values, which each characterize the temperature of the component ( 10 ) at an associated component location during laser sintering and/or laser melting of the component ( 10 ); and providing a computing device, by which:
a first data set can be generated from the spatially resolved color values;
a second data set can be provided, with the second data set comprising spatially resolved color values corresponding to the first data set, said color values each characterizing the temperature of a reference component at an associated reference component location during laser sintering and/or laser melting of the reference component;
any difference between the first data set and the second data set can be determined; and
at least the quality of the component ( 10 ) can be evaluated on the basis of the difference between the first data set and the second data set.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein
the detection device comprises at least one high-resolution detector and/or at least one IR-sensitive detector, in particular a CMOS and/or sCMOS and/or CCD camera, for recording IR radiation.

Assignees

• MTU Aero Engines AG

Inventors

• Hess Thomas
• Zenzinger Gunter
• Satzger Wilhelm

Classifications

• B22F12/90

  Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors · CPC title

• B22F10/85

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B22F10/38

  to achieve specific product aspects, e.g. surface smoothness, density, porosity or hollow structures · CPC title

• B22F10/36

  of energy beam parameters · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title