SOFTWARE

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES
Quality Control in
Additive Manufacturing
word s : C hr istian Loh mül ler

Despite all its advantages, Additive Manufacturing

(AM) needs to win the trust of manufacturers and
consumers if it is to become a serious alternative place. They just need to be put together
to established manufacturing methods. Delivering by using the right inspection method
quality is the only way to achieve this. However, and the right software. In the end, the
AM poses special challenges to quality control same file can be used as a blueprint for
- challenges traditional tactile and optical non- manufacturing and for inspection. To
destructive testing methods cannot overcome. Only make this possible, Volume Graphics
CT (in combination with the right software) is capable software is fully compatible with .stl
of capturing all features of an object, both inside files, which are most commonly used in
and outside – and all while preserving the product. Additive Manufacturing, and CAD files.
Furthermore, VGStudio MAX 3.0 and
VGMetrology 3.0 automatically translate
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING: part or difficult to capture. While tactile and intelligently evaluate Product and
SIMPLER YET MORE coordinate measurement methods Manufacturing Information (PMI) in CAD
COMPLEX are also non-destructive, CT has the files and use this information for quality
On the one hand, AM makes added benefit of being non-intrusive. control. PMI data provides additional part
designing and manufacturing much This means measuring using CT does information, e.g., dimensioning, GD & T,
simpler as it no longer requires a not deform the part. And unlike optical layers, annotations or captions.
factory in the conventional sense. methods, CT still works accurately even if The result is a fully digitized production
On the other hand, the ability to the part is translucent or reflects. process: The product is first designed
manufacture virtually any form makes To confirm shape and size, a CT scan in CAD, then translated into a .stl file
products much more complex. For can easily be compared against a CAD that is then handed over to the Additive
example, a part could mimic the file or GD&T blueprint. But CT goes way Manufacturing system. After the product
structure of a bone to be lightweight, beyond measuring: It can also be used has been printed, the same CAD file
strong, and save on material. Just to analyse porosity, wall thickness, fibre that served as the basis for the .stl used
as with a real bone, that part would orientation, and even serve as basis for for printing is used as reference for
greatly depend on its inner structure. simulations. inspection. It is obvious how seamless
If this inner structure is flawed, the manufacturing becomes when using the
whole part is. REVERSE ENGINEERING right technologies.
A CT scan can also be used to
ONLY ONE VIABLE generate the blueprint of a part from DIGITAL EQUALS QUALITY
INSPECTION METHOD scratch. This may come in handy when EQUALS TRUST
Using traditional, destructive a spare part is no longer available. With The more seamless the whole
inspection methods in AM simply the right software, the reconstructed manufacturing process becomes,
is not sensible. The most obvious volume dataset can be translated into a the less room there is for error. This
reason is that destructive inspection .stl file. This file can then be used to print seamlessness can easily be achieved
would destroy what are often one-of- the scanned part or be edited further in because Additive Manufacturing is an
a-kind pieces. a CAD application. Specialized software inherently digital production method.
However, traditional non- for reverse engineering is able to convert But trust can only be created if
destructive inspection methods the .stl file into a CAD representation. complex, additively manufactured parts
also do not fit the bill because they are being inspected with a method that
are superficial. In contrast to tactile FULLY DIGITISED PRODUCTION holistically scans all surfaces, even if they
and optical methods, industrial CT The building blocks needed to are inside the part or difficult to capture.
holistically scans all surfaces of an fully digitise the entire process from This method is industrial CT – and the
object, even if they are inside a development to inspection are already in software to analyse the results is Volume
Graphics.

FAR LEFT:
Latticed Cube in GUI

LEFT: VGSM guI

24 : 5 www.tctmagazine.com 061