Analysis of Modern Optical Inspection Systems for Parts Manufactured by Selective Laser Melting

• Main Authors: Sara Giganto, Susana Martínez-Pellitero, Eduardo Cuesta, Víctor M. Meana, Joaquín Barreiro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-06-01
• Series: Sensors
• Subjects: optical measurement systems (OMSs); dimensional and geometrical accuracy; metrological comparison; non-contact inspection; 3D scanning; additive manufacturing (AM)
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/20/11/3202

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) allows obtaining functional parts with the possibility of optimizing them topologically without affecting system performance. This is of great interest for sectors such as aerospace, automotive, and medical–surgical. However, from a metrological point of view, the high requirements applied in these sectors constitute a challenge for inspecting these types of parts. Non-contact inspection has gained great relevance due to the rapid verification of AM parts. Optical measurement systems (OMSs) are being increasingly adopted for geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) verification within the context of Industry 4.0. In this paper, the suitability (advantages and limitations) of five different OMSs (based on laser triangulation, conoscopic holography, and structured light techniques) for GD&T verification of parts manufactured by selective laser melting (SLM) is analyzed. For this purpose, a specific testing part was designed and SLM-manufactured in 17-4PH stainless steel. Once the part was measured by contact (obtaining the reference GD&T values), it was optically measured. The scanning results allow comparing the OMSs in terms of their inspection speed as well as dimensional and geometrical accuracy. As a result, two portable systems (handheld laser triangulation and structured blue-light scanners) were identified as the most accurate optical techniques for scanning SLM parts.