Abstract
Additive manufacturing (AM) processes are based on localized layer-wise melting of powder. For the production of metallic components Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is one prominent technique. AM techniques have a large potential in new component designs and in saving resources, thus being particularly interesting for the production of geometrically complex components. We report on recent investigations and illustrate that online recorded A-scans allow inferring conclusions about the quality of the SLM process - layer by layer. We introduce a multi-functional additively manufactured test block for online process control and offline materials characterization using ultrasound.