Product Code: ICA13_1001

Sensor System for Spatially Resolved Observation of the Melt Pool in Selective Laser Melting
Authors:
Ulrich Thombansen, Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT; Aachen USA
Andrei Diatlov, Rwth Aachen University Chair of Lasertechnology (Llt); Aachen Germany
Presented at ICALEO 2013

In selective laser melting, products are generated by selectively melting powder layer by layer. The amount of energy coupled into the powder results in a melt pool that can be observed by detecting its thermal emission.
A sensor system acquires information during processing through a scanner based manufacturing system for selective laser melting. The coaxially coupled detection system is comprised of a synchronously operated camera and pyrometer. A real time processing system based on a fpga, combines data from both sources with the current position of the scan head.
Post processing the acquired data allows gaining an insight into the course of the melt process potentially identifying defects.