Title: Accelerating Additive Manufacturing Qualification Through Non-Destructive Directed Energy Deposition Geometry Analysis

Authors: Caleb Fairburn, Marissa Baker, Thale Smith, Xuan Wang, Eltahry Elghandour

DOI:

Abstract: Achieving fully dense, defect-free components in directed energy deposition (DED) additive manufacturing (AM) requires precisely defining process parameters. Traditionally, DED practitioners utilized destructive metallographic evaluation to define process parameters, which is both costly and timeintensive. This work investigates whether non-destructive, rapid measurement techniques can suitably characterize deposition geometries for parameter development, thereby accelerating AM qualification. Single-track, multiple-track, and multiple-layer samples were fabricated by laser-wire DED under varying processing conditions to evaluate the geometric sensitivity to process parameters and materials inputs. Non-destructive measurement tools (coordinate measuring machine 3D scanning (CMM), digital calipers, digital height indicator, and visual inspection) are compared with destructive metallographic analysis to evaluate differences or improvements in accuracy, repeatability, and analysis time. Analysis of singletrack geometries indicates that CMM and digital height indicator tools more accurately and rapidly characterize track heights and variability than destructive metallography. Digital calipers produced comparable width measurements in less time than destructive metallography and better captured width variability. A method for defining process parameters (layer and hatch spacings) based on these nondestructive measurements is proposed and shown to mitigate the development of lack of fusion defects in multiple-track and multiple-layer deposits. Though destructive metallographic inspection remains important for characterizing subsurface defects and features, the results of this study demonstrate the potential of non-destructive metrology for rapid, economical AM process parameter qualification.

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Conference: SAMPE 2026

Publication Date: 2026/04/27

SKU: 22

Pages: 14

Price: $28.00