Integration of In Situ Measurements to Monitor the Print Process in MBJ

Metal Binder Jetting (MBJ) gains increasing industrial attention due to its serial production potential. In order to tap the full potential of MBJ, a deep process understanding is crucial. The aim of this work is to gain a deeper insight of the influence of process parameters on the powder spreading and powder bed heating by using in situ measurements, as a way to create a basis for real-time process control and optimization. This is achieved by generating images of the powder build-up in front of the spreading roller and thermal imaging of the powder bed for each layer. An automated image processing was developed to examine the powder build-up, and the green part properties were evaluated with different powder heating settings respectively. A proper control of the powder spreading and powder bed temperature positively influences powder binder interaction and green part properties, while minimizing the scrap rate.