As an example of modern production, additive manufacturing ("3D printing") has become indispensable in the manufacture of highly complex metallic components, bionically inspired lightweight construction or prototypes. However, the quality assurance of components for safety-critical applications still poses a challenge. Additive manufacturing (AM) is a comparatively young and data-intensive manufacturing process. It is therefore ideally suited to testing and further developing the new tools of a digital quality infrastructure (QI) for modern production. | |
| In order to strengthen confidence in the technology and establish it on the market, the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) are driving forward the development of digitally supported quality assurance as part of the initiative. At the same time, digital QI tools (e.g. standardisation, testing) are being developed. |
Development of a real-world laboratory for demonstrating the tools of digital QI
The development of a digital QI enables objective quality assurance in additive manufacturing and makes the technology more usable, especially for small and medium-sized companies. It can be fully utilised as part of the "Made in Germany" quality standard - especially when it comes to upheaval in industrial sectors.
For many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), it is a challenge to build up the necessary expertise in the field of additive manufacturing (AM) and, in particular, quality assurance (QA) for AM. This is often associated with high time, personnel and financial expenditure. BAM has therefore set up an open real-world laboratory with a digitally networked process chain for laser-based metal powder melting (PBF-LB/M) and wire-based arc welding (DED-Arc). Here, SMEs can work together with BAM scientists on components, process conditions and new quality assurance procedures. Together with the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), inexpensive measurement methods suitable for SMEs are compared with high-end methods such as µ-CT in order to test their suitability for QA for AM. Collaboration and connection to the real-world laboratory is therefore attractive for SMEs in order to save time, personnel and money.
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| The real-world laboratory "Additive Manufacturing for SMEs" is embedded in the AM@BAM Competence Centre for Additive Manufacturing at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing. | |
PTB is investigating hybrid additive manufacturing, which combines the advantages of additive and conventional manufacturing processes. This technology enables the production of highly complex components with geometric individualisation, functional integration and efficient material utilisation. Compared to purely machining processes, hybrid additive manufacturing not only reduces the number of process steps required, but also optimises material utilisation. The process chain is tested and analysed using the example of a demonstrator component, a manifold collector for the automotive sector.
The article analyses the requirements for the integration of additively manufactured components in hybrid systems, taking into account the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises in particular. The analysis is extended by the application of standards for test reporting for quality control and component qualification. The PTB also provides recommendations for measurement technology to be used by SMEs.
The pilot project is linked to the DKE's Initiative Digital Standards (IDiS), which provides impetus for digital standardisation. Embedded in the IDiS pilot projects for the development of SMART standards, the knowledge from standardisation should be able to be applied digitally in the future.
Furthermore, BAM is a member of the VDMA and the Additive Manufacturing working group, which has organised its annual meeting at BAM in 2023, as well as the MGA "mobility goes additive" network and aims to further advance the networking of QI-Digital and connection to the real-world laboratory.
Another example of the networking of QI-Digital is BAM's involvement in the national DIN Standards Committee for Materials Technology (NWT), specifically in NA 145-04-01 AA "AM cross-sectional topics and digitalisation". As a result and initiated by the exchange via the QI-Digital initiative, the pilot project is an active part and even lead in a group of experts on the topic of "Data Based Quality Assurance in AM". The aim here is to incorporate findings from the pilot project into standardisation and to contribute to the development of standard content.
The transfer of content and the positioning of QI-Digital will also be extended to the international arena if these standards are introduced at international level. This is made possible by an exchange between the expert group and the ISO/TC 261 Technical Committee Additive Manufacturing.
To connect the digital solutions, the QI-Digital initiative is developing the Quality-X concept, which is intended to offer a bespoke solution for regulated digital data exchange with stakeholders (data selection, access rights, authentication, etc.).
Research and Development
The process for digital QI is being tested in the real laboratory and research operation, in which, among other things, the interaction of physical material flow and digital data flow is experimentally researched and described. In the initiative, the tools for digital QI are being further developed and implemented in the Additive Manufacturing pilot project using SMART standards and digital test reports.
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| The existing quality infrastructure system has proven itself for conventional manufacturing. However, additive manufacturing considerably increases the design scope of possible component geometries and process errors. This is where QI reaches its limits, meaning that the production and approval of safety-relevant components requires very time-consuming and cost-intensive tests. Modern digital QI enables more efficient quality assurance for additively manufactured components. This requires end-to-end digital mapping of the physical material flow. |
Challenges of digitalized manufacturing
- Manufacturing processes deliver vast amounts of data (several terabytes / TB even for very small components)
- No consistent data flow
- No standardized data formats
- Compatibility problems
- Complex downstream quality assurance
- Lack of process know-how
- Non-transparent documentation
- No regulated digital data exchange with stakeholders (data selection, access rights, authentication, etc.)
A considerable amount of data is generated in each process step of the physical material flow (a storage requirement of several TB per component). In addition, the available data is available in different formats, which makes evaluation more difficult, and there is no standardized data flow along the entire production process. In addition, numerous norms and standards do not yet exist or are still in the development phase.
Solutions
We are researching the following topics to overcome these challenges:
- Development of new process-integrated quality assurance measures (process monitoring)
- Further development and evaluation of non-destructive testing methods for downstream quality assurance
- Identification of system-independent quality-relevant parameters
- New digital methods for the evaluation of process and measurement data
- Development of algorithms for data reduction
- Development of a universal structure for data exchange
- Digital networking of all process steps
- Development of a digital test report
- Quality-X concept as a solution for regulated digital data exchange with stakeholders
With our work, we help to create concrete solutions for quality-assured additive manufacturing and make them accessible to small and medium-sized companies in particular. This provides data-based certainty that a specific component can always be produced in repeatable quality.
Certification of the BAM's real-world laboratory for additive manufacturing
BAM's real-world laboratory for additive manufacturing is the first research facility in the world to be certified for quality assurance in accordance with ISO/ASTM 52920. Watch the video to find out more about the certification & why data-driven QA is important.
