In-situ sensing, process monitoring and machine control in Laser Powder Bed Fusion: A review

Process monitoring and sensing is widely used across many industries for quality assurance, and for increasing machine uptime and reliability. Though still in the emergent stages, process monitoring is beginning to see strong adoption in the additive manufacturing community through the use of process sensors recording a wide range of optical, acoustic and thermal signals. The ability to acquire these signals in a holistic manner, coupled with intelligence-based machine control has the potential to make additive manufacturing a robust and competitive alternative to conventional fabrication techniques. This paper presents an overview of the state-of the art of in-situ process monitoring in laser powder bed fusion processes and highlights some current limitations and areas for advancement. Also presented is an overview of real-time process control requirements, which when combined with the emergent process monitoring tools, will eventually allow for in-depth process control of the powder bed fusion process, which is essential for wide-scale industrial credibility and adoption of this technology.