Phase3D Fringe Inspection Solution for Aerospace Additive Manufacturing
Posted: 2025-4-15
In additive manufacturing, even minor inconsistencies can lead to costly part failures. One aerospace prime in the U.S. faced a frustrating qualification issue with a laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF) component printed on an EOS M270. Despite multiple attempts, parts were failing post-build due to non-consistent porosity and nonconforming internal geometries. The root cause wasn’t immediately clear, and flipping through standard machine images made it nearly impossible to catch the issue in real-time or during quality inspection.
The Challenge: Missing the Problem in Image Reviews
The machine's built-in imaging provided a low-resolution, frame-by-frame look at each layer, but manually reviewing images made it difficult to detect a subtle but significant pattern—powder inconsistently falling onto the part layer after layer. A technician observed powder accumulating on the recoater assembly and suspected it was dropping onto the build surface. Without a clear, quantifiable way to track this, engineers were left investigating part failures without an obvious culprit.
The Cost of Unseen Issues
This unseen powder dropping issue led to:
Increased machine time – Parts had to be reprinted after defects were found.
Wasted post-inspection efforts – Critical defects were only detected after printing.
Inefficient troubleshooting – Engineers spent excessive time analysing failures without a direct way to confirm the root cause.
With a 5% failure rate across a 50-part production run annually, the customer estimated over $63,000 in wasted costs prior to installing Fringe Inspection™. This includes print time, post-processing, inspections, and labor. For the production run of the aerospace part, it was reported the printing cost was $6,000, post-processing cost was $10,000, and post-inspection cost was $5,000.
The loss of $63,000 was reduced by over 90% by adding Fringe Inspection to the machine for early detection of build failure. This cost is considered a low estimate as it only includes the direct manufacturing costs and excludes the wasted engineering and technician time as well as other resources.
A Clearer View with Fringe Inspection™
Looking for a better solution, the customer turned to Fringe Inspection™, already installed on an EOS M290. Within 24 hours, the system was set up on the EOS M270, allowing for real-time, high-resolution heightmaps of every powder and melted layer—eliminating the need to flip through blurry images.
Immediately, the Fringe Inspection system detected the issue: powder was accumulating on the recoater assembly and dropping unpredictably onto the build surface. When parts overbuilt and protruded slightly, the recoater blade impacted them, causing a vibration that shook loose accumulated powder, depositing it onto the melted area. This was not something that could be easily spotted by flipping through images, but it was clearly visible in Fringe Inspection’s heightmap analysis.
Quantifiable Insights and a Lasting Solution
Beyond identification, Fringe Inspection measured the extent of the problem—showing powder deposition reaching 200 microns (µm), four times the standard layer thickness. With this data, the customer set a process threshold: any powder drop greater than 200µm would trigger a failed print.
To address the issue, a simple but effective solution was implemented—a fixed blade was added to the recoater’s home position to remove excess powder before it could accumulate. After deploying this fix, Fringe Inspection continued monitoring builds, ensuring no powder drop exceeded 200µm.
Impact: A Shift from Reactive to Proactive
By integrating Fringe Inspection, the customer transitioned from reactive failure analysis to proactive quality control. Instead of catching failures post-print, they could now detect anomalies in real-time and cancel defective builds before wasting more resources.
With zero failures from powder dropping after implementation, the company significantly improved efficiency, reduced costs, and optimized its additive manufacturing process—demonstrating the value of real-time, data-driven quality control.
The Challenge: Missing the Problem in Image Reviews
The machine's built-in imaging provided a low-resolution, frame-by-frame look at each layer, but manually reviewing images made it difficult to detect a subtle but significant pattern—powder inconsistently falling onto the part layer after layer. A technician observed powder accumulating on the recoater assembly and suspected it was dropping onto the build surface. Without a clear, quantifiable way to track this, engineers were left investigating part failures without an obvious culprit.
The Cost of Unseen Issues
This unseen powder dropping issue led to:
Increased machine time – Parts had to be reprinted after defects were found.
Wasted post-inspection efforts – Critical defects were only detected after printing.
Inefficient troubleshooting – Engineers spent excessive time analysing failures without a direct way to confirm the root cause.
With a 5% failure rate across a 50-part production run annually, the customer estimated over $63,000 in wasted costs prior to installing Fringe Inspection™. This includes print time, post-processing, inspections, and labor. For the production run of the aerospace part, it was reported the printing cost was $6,000, post-processing cost was $10,000, and post-inspection cost was $5,000.
The loss of $63,000 was reduced by over 90% by adding Fringe Inspection to the machine for early detection of build failure. This cost is considered a low estimate as it only includes the direct manufacturing costs and excludes the wasted engineering and technician time as well as other resources.
A Clearer View with Fringe Inspection™
Looking for a better solution, the customer turned to Fringe Inspection™, already installed on an EOS M290. Within 24 hours, the system was set up on the EOS M270, allowing for real-time, high-resolution heightmaps of every powder and melted layer—eliminating the need to flip through blurry images.
Immediately, the Fringe Inspection system detected the issue: powder was accumulating on the recoater assembly and dropping unpredictably onto the build surface. When parts overbuilt and protruded slightly, the recoater blade impacted them, causing a vibration that shook loose accumulated powder, depositing it onto the melted area. This was not something that could be easily spotted by flipping through images, but it was clearly visible in Fringe Inspection’s heightmap analysis.
Quantifiable Insights and a Lasting Solution
Beyond identification, Fringe Inspection measured the extent of the problem—showing powder deposition reaching 200 microns (µm), four times the standard layer thickness. With this data, the customer set a process threshold: any powder drop greater than 200µm would trigger a failed print.
To address the issue, a simple but effective solution was implemented—a fixed blade was added to the recoater’s home position to remove excess powder before it could accumulate. After deploying this fix, Fringe Inspection continued monitoring builds, ensuring no powder drop exceeded 200µm.
Impact: A Shift from Reactive to Proactive
By integrating Fringe Inspection, the customer transitioned from reactive failure analysis to proactive quality control. Instead of catching failures post-print, they could now detect anomalies in real-time and cancel defective builds before wasting more resources.
With zero failures from powder dropping after implementation, the company significantly improved efficiency, reduced costs, and optimized its additive manufacturing process—demonstrating the value of real-time, data-driven quality control.
