Sensor and Electronics Integration in Additive Manufacturing
Abstract
Historically, additive manufacturing (AM) emerged as a prototyping method. While this application has retained its relevance, additional scenarios have become accessible through technological advances. This chapter discusses the individual AM processes. The AM systems can be categorized based on the method used in material deposition, the physical state of the material when deposited, or the material classes that can actually be processed. The chapter addresses the motivations for sensor integration in AM. Sensor integration in general endows products with the ability to gather life cycle data. Practical incorporation of sensors, sensor systems, and their elements in components produced via AM can be distinguished based on the location of the sensor within the component and with respect to the realization of both the sensor system and its physical embedding in terms of the manufacturing processes involved and their integration.
