SiMPADD is an industrial research project with a high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) commissioned by CIM 4.0 (Competence Industry Manufacturing 4.0) as part of the PRIA_I4.0 (Applied Research Projects Industry 4.0) call.
SiMPADD is situated in the sector of monitoring for laser-based Additive Manufacturing technologies and develops a melt pool monitoring system for Direct Energy Deposition machines.
The project’s objective is the industrialization of an effective monitoring system for the AM Direct Energy Deposition (DED) technology to enable: a) real-time correction of any deviations from optimal conditions, in order to reduce the rejection rate and thus the waste material and/or the need for significant rework after the parts are built; b) a more comprehensive and detailed analysis of the production process, supported by data processed after the melting process, which will generate the thermal map of the produced component, to be correlated with both the original starting data from the technical specifications and CAD, and the final geometric reconstruction of the component derived from probing and 3D scanning processes.
In conclusion, SiMPADD will bring the process closer to zero defect manufacturing (ZDM) and facilitate the certification of components produced through this additive technology. SiMPADD will achieve a 75% reduction in inspection times, as defect analysis will be performed in less than 2 hours without destructive testing, unless requested by the client, compared to the current 8 hours including destructive tests and engaging the machine for only four hours. SiMPADD starts at TRL6 and reaches TRL8 after 18 months.
