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The Importance of Workholding Flexibility
August 15, 2024
AddUp (IMTS, West Building, Booth #433133), a joint venture created by Michelin and Fives, is a global metal additive manufacturing OEM and service provider of powder bed fusion (PBF) and directed energy deposition (DED) technologies. They have launched a suite of new process monitoring software to bolster the capabilities of the FormUp 350 PBF machine: AddUp Dashboards, Recoat Monitoring, and Meltpool Monitoring. This new software suite for its metal 3D printing technology optimizes part quality for prototyping and end-use industrial applications.
Director of Applications and Business Development Nick Estock said, "Our suite of monitoring solutions provides real quality assurance and a digital fingerprint necessary for the qualification of critical hardware demanded by industrial users of additive technologies."
AddUp Dashboards is a multiscale monitoring software.AddUp Dashboards is a multiscale monitoring software that is available with all AddUp FormUp PBF and DED machines. The software provides a clear picture of both real-time and historic-process data for your machine and presents it in an easy-to-read dashboard view. It also collects all production data in real time and presents it as dashboards tailored to the needs of different users. Fully configurable, capable of emitting different alarms, AddUp Dashboards will help you improve the efficiency of your manufacturing, conduct analysis in case of defects on a part, and monitor a workshop composed of several machines.
Meltpool Monitoring, provides visibility of printing execution at the microscopic scale.The most advanced solution in AddUp’s monitoring suite, Meltpool Monitoring, provides visibility of printing execution at the microscopic scale. Several parameters are measured at very high frequency, such as the position of the laser spot, the power delivered and the emissivity of the melt pool. This data is available in real time. This system makes it possible to characterize any defects without destroying the part, which is beneficial for unique one-off builds. And in the case of mass production, it can be used to create a footprint to serve as a point of comparison for all future production builds.
AddUp’s monitoring suite analyzes the quality of the layering and Recoat Monitoring proactively corrects faults during production.The layering phase is a key step in the metal parts production based on laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology. Any defects can cause melting problems or lead to a production interruption. One of the key elements in the AddUp’s monitoring suite is the analysis of the quality of the layering which can proactively corrects faults during production called Recoat Monitoring. Operating on a closed-loop principle, this analysis during production checks the homogeneity of the powder bed, revealing the possible presence of deposits or lack of powder. The algorithms developed by AddUp allow users to assign a score and trigger a correction sequence when necessary.
