TY - JOUR A1 - Schmidt, Jonathan A1 - Merz, Benjamin A1 - Poka, Konstantin A1 - Mohr, Gunther A1 - Hilgenberg, Kai T1 - Surface structure analysis using visual high-resolution in situ process monitoring in laser powder bed fusion N2 - Parameter studies are a common step in selecting process parameters for laser powder bed fusion of metals (PBF-LB/M). Density cubes are commonly used for this purpose. Density cubes manufactured with varied process parameters can exhibit distinguishable surface structures visible to the human eye. The layer-wise process enables such surface structures to be detected during manufacturing. However, industrial visual in situ monitoring systems for PBF-LB/M currently have limited resolution and are incapable of reliably capturing small differences in the surface structures. In this work, a 65 MPixel high-resolution monochrome camera was integrated into an industrial PBF-LB/M machine together with a high-intensity LED (light-emitting diode) bar. Post-exposure images were taken to analyse differences in light reflection of fused areas. It is revealed that the grey-level co-occurrence matrix can be used to quantify the visual surface structure of nickel-based superalloy Inconel®939 density cubes per layer. The properties of the grey-level co-occurrence matrix correlate to the energy input and the resulting porosity of density cubes. Low-energy samples containing lack of fusion flaws show an increased contrast in the grey-level co-occurrence matrix compared to specimens with optimal energy input. The potential of high-resolution images for quality assurance via in situ process monitoring in PBF-LB/M is further discussed. KW - Additive manufacturing KW - Powder bed fusion KW - In situ monitoring KW - Image processing KW - High resolution camera PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-626685 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-025-01955-1 SN - 1878-6669 SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-62668 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Merz, Benjamin T1 - Impact of illumination technique on the detectability of irregularities for in-situ process monitoring in PBF-LB/M N2 - The layerwise geometry build-up of additive manufacturing (AM) enables the possibility of in-situ process monitoring. The objective is the detection of irregularities during the build cycle, ensuring component quality and process stability. Focus of this work is the visual in-situ monitoring of the process of powder bed fusion with laser beam of metals (PBF-LB/M). Current state of the art visual monitoring systems for PBF-LB/M are limited by low resolution, allowing the detection of gross flaws. In this work a 65 Mpixel high-resolution monochrome camera is integrated into a commercial PBF-LB/M machine enabling a spatial resolution of approx. 17.2 µm/Pixel. The observed inhomogeneities are clustered into directly detectable irregularities, and indirectly detectable irregularities that can be inferred from the surface. In parallel, two different illumination techniques are realized in the process chamber and compared. The impact of the distinct illumination technique, direct light and dark field, on the identification of irregularities is evaluated. T2 - 13th CIRP Conference on Photonic Technologies [LANE 2024] CY - Fürth, Germany DA - 15.09.2024 KW - Powder bed fusion with laser beam of metals KW - In-situ monitoring KW - High-resolution camera KW - Illumination technique PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61094 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Merz, Benjamin T1 - Concepts for bridging voids in metal additive manufacturing for repair of gas turbine blades using laser powder bed fusion N2 - One of the main advantages of additive manufacturing (AM) processes such as laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) is the possibility to manufacture complex near-net-shape components. Therefore, the PBF-LB/M process is becoming increasingly important for the manufacturing and repair of gas turbine blades. Despite the great freedom in design, there are also limitations to the process. Manufacturing overhangs or bridging voids are some of the main challenges. In the conventional PBF-LB/M process, overhangs with angles up to 45° can be manufactured. However, gas turbine blades feature voids for cooling, which have to be bridged when using PBF-LB/M. In this work, different concepts for bridging voids are developed for future application in gas turbine blade repair. For this purpose, a test geometry is derived from the tip area of a gas turbine blade as a reference. By changing the initial geometry of the reference body, different designs for bridging voids are developed based on the PBF-LB/M requirements. Subsequently, these distinct designs are manufactured by PBF-LB/M. The different approaches are compared with respect to their volume increase. In addition, the specimens are visually inspected for warpage, shrinkage and imperfections by overheating. Out of the seven concepts developed, three concepts can be recommended for gas turbine blade repair based on low volume increase, distortion and shrinkage. T2 - Metal Additive Manufacturing Conference - MAMC 2022 CY - Graz, Austria DA - 26.09.2022 KW - Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M) KW - Selective Laser Melting (SLM) KW - Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) KW - Repair of gas turbine blades KW - Bridging voids KW - Supportless PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55869 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Merz, Benjamin T1 - Position Detection for Hybrid Repair of gas turbine blades using PBF-LB/M N2 - This poster presents a workflow for camera-based position detection of components within PBF-LB/M machines. This enables a hybrid repair process of highly stressed components such as gas turbine blades using PBF-LB/M. T2 - Kuratoriumsführung CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 21.06.2022 KW - Additive Manufacturing KW - PBF-LB/M KW - Position detection KW - Camera KW - Image processing PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56587 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Poka, Konstantin A1 - Ali, Sozol A1 - Ulbricht, Alexander A1 - Schröder, Jakob A1 - Khambayat, Jiganesh A1 - Scholz, Maik A1 - Saeed, Waleed A1 - Merz, Benjamin A1 - Epperlein, Martin A1 - Hilgenberg, Kai T1 - Reduction of extraneous variance in powder bed fusion with laser beam of metals by means of advanced digital preprocessing N2 - Data-driven quality assurance and reproducibility are critical for advancing the industrial maturity of Powder Bed Fusion with Laser Beam of Metals (PBF-LB/M). This study addresses the extraneous variance in scan vectors that arises even for identical cross sections of nominally identical components but located at different positions on the build platform. This inherent variance, common across most PBF-LB/M machines, is caused by scan vector computation relative to the machine coordinate origin and subsequent projection of the resulting pattern onto individual component cross sections. In this work, scan vectors are computed still following conventional slicing, but relative to the workpiece origin of each component, using an EOS M 300-4. This digital preprocessing approach homogenizes fabrication conditions, ensuring that anomalies, such as scan vector overlaps, occur consistently across identical components. The impact during fabrication is assessed through powder bed imaging, melt pool monitoring, and operational data from the multilaser PBF-LB/M machine. Components are manufactured from AlSi10Mg for each scan vector computation origin and subsequently qualified using x-ray computed tomography, optical coordinate measurement, and optical surface measurement. A comprehensive evaluation is conducted, comparing the results in terms of component density, geometric accuracy, and surface roughness to those obtained using conventional preprocessing. Based on these findings, practical recommendations are provided, focusing on achieved quality criteria to identify potential drawbacks, while also considering the life cycle analysis of fabrication. Finally, the study emphasizes the significance of consistent scan vector provisioning for identical components placed at different build platform positions, assuming no roll or pitch during nesting. T2 - ICALEO CY - Orlando, FL, USA DA - 13.10.2025 KW - Quality assurance KW - Data management KW - 3D printing KW - Laser fabrication KW - Life cycle analysis PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-642104 DO - https://doi.org/10.2351/7.0001890 SN - 1042-346X VL - 37 IS - 4 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - American Institute of Physics Publishing CY - New York AN - OPUS4-64210 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nietzke, Jonathan A1 - Konert, Florian A1 - Poka, Konstantin A1 - Merz, Benjamin A1 - Sobol, Oded A1 - Böllinghaus, Thomas T1 - Comparison of hydrogen effects on additively manufactured and conventional austenitic steels N2 - Hydrogen and its derivatives are promising energy carriers for future renewable energy supplies. Austenitic stainless steels, such as AISI 316L, are commonly used in hydrogen transportation systems. While often thought to be resistant to hydrogen embrittlement, studies have shown that 316L is susceptible under certain conditions. As demand for hydrogen applications grows, additive manufacturing (AM) technologies offer design flexibility and customisation benefits. However, data on AM parts behaviour in hydrogen environments is lacking. This study investigates the influence of hydrogen on mechanical properties using slow strain rate testing (SSRT) on conventional AISI 304L, 316L and AM 316L specimens. The results indicate a greater effect of hydrogen on 304L compared to 316L, with AM 316L showing increased susceptibility. However, the ductility of AM 316L remains comparable to conventional 316L due to its initial ductility. The study provides insights into the performance of conventional and AM austenitic stainless steels in gaseous hydrogen environments. KW - Slow strain rate testing KW - Hollow specimen KW - Hydrogen embrittlement KW - Additive manufacturing KW - Austenitic steel PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-615919 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2024.109042 SN - 1350-6307 VL - 167 SP - 1 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-61591 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -