Procedure and Validation of the Implementation of Automated Sensor Integration Kinematics in an LPBF System
Maximilian Binder, Christian Dirnhofer, Philipp Kindermann, Max Horn, Matthias Schmitt, Christine Anstaett, Georg Schlick, Christian Seidel, Gunther Reinhart
Abstract
The in-situ integration of sensors into additive manufactured (AM) components is becoming increasingly important and moving into the focus of current research. However, manual sensor integration during the metal- and laser-based powder bed fusion (LPBF) process is usually associated with long process downtimes, the loss of the shielding gas atmosphere and a change in component temperature. The resulting effects are e.g. changed mechanical properties. Therefore, one way to avoid these effects is presented by automated sensor integration. A procedure for the design of kinematics to meet the requirements is presented and experimentally validated. As a result, a functional automation unit in an LPBF plant is presented.