Fabrication of Sensor-Integrated Parts Using Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing

Currently used metal additive manufacturing (AM) processes are often limited regarding build rates or build volumes. Cold spray, as a comparably young AM-process, enables the production of large metal components at high deposition rates. The technology, which was developed in the mid-1980s as a coating process, accelerates particles to supersonic speeds using a De-Laval-nozzle. The particles are subsequently sprayed with high impact onto a substrate, which causes the particles to form dense layers by plastic deformation induced by their high kinetic energy. Good processability of ductile materials and manufacturability of multi-material structures thus becomes feasible. Cold spray, which can be seen as an addition to the directed energy deposition technologies, will be the focus and be linked to the insertion of sensors within this work. Possibilities and limitations, of embedding temperature sensors in AM-components during the process, are systematically developed and presented.