Additive Manufacturing In-situ and Ex-Situ Data Registration and Metadata Definition

Published

May 10, 2022

Author(s)

Shaw C. Feng, Yan Lu, Albert T. Jones, Zhuo Yang

Abstract

The number and types of measurement devices used for monitoring Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion of Metals (PBF-LB/M) processes and inspecting the resulting Additive Manufacturing (AM) metal parts have increased rapidly in recent years. The variety, volume, and veracity of the data collected by such devices has increased simultaneously. Each measurement device generates data in a unique coordinate system and in a unique format. Data registration is the process of spatially aligning different datasets to a single coordinate system. Data alignment is part of a broader process called Data Registration. Data registration is required before discovering material-process- structure-property relationships, monitoring and controlling PBF-LB/M processes, and qualifying AM materials, processes, and parts. This paper addresses both data registration and data alignment. It provides a general data-registration procedure for AM data collected during PBF-LB/M processes, post inspection, and part testing. As part of that procedure, this paper focuses on the meta-data necessary for AM data registration. Finally, this paper provides a detailed example of image-based coaxial melt pool monitoring data registration for the AM Metrology Testbed at the National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST). Specific data objects used in this procedure include scan commands, in-situ photogrammetry, thermography, ex-situ X-ray computed tomography (XCT), coordinate metrology, and computer-aided design (CAD) models. As for data alignment, the paper includes a specific example from melt pool images, scan paths, layer images, XCT three-dimensional (3D) model, coordinate measurements, and the 3D CAD model for in-situ and ex-situ process monitoring. The steps used in this example can be reused to align other types of datasets as well.

Citation

ASME Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering

Volume

22

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4054202

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Keywords

Additive Manufacturing, Data Alignment, Data Registration, Additive Manufacturing Meta Data

Citation

Feng, S. , Lu, Y. , Jones, A. and Yang, Z. (2022), Additive Manufacturing In-situ and Ex-Situ Data Registration and Metadata Definition, ASME Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering, [online], https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4054202, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=931761 (Accessed May 10, 2026)

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