On- and offline ultrasonic inspection of additively manufactured components

Additive manufacturing (AM) processes are based on localized melting of successive layers of powder. For the production of metallic components Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is one of the most prominent techniques. In comparison with conventional subtractive manufacturing, AM techniques have a large potential in new component designs and in saving resources, thus being particularly interesting for the production of geometrically complex aero engine 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 'smart', additively manufactured test block for online process control and offline materials characterization using ultrasound.