Phase3D wins $1.25 million US Air Force contract to develop quality inspection system

"Phase3D's work through this contract will provide high quality, objective data on the process, something critical to growing its use case, especially in the field."

by

Phase3D has been awarded a $1.25 million contract to develop a quality inspection system for cold spray additive manufacturing (CSAM). The contract was awarded by the Air Force Research Lab, with the final product set to be installed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.

Key information:

  • Phase3D is set to develop a quality inspection system for cold spray additive manufacturing.
  • The in-situ inspection for powder-based additive manufacturing developer was awarded a contract worth $1.25 million by the Air Force Research Lab to develop the system.
  • The project will build upon Phase3D's already existing research, and will hopefully provide a basis for the creation of specifications and printing guidelines for CSAM.

One of the biggest issues with CSAM currently is gathering objective data on parts during the build process. To fill this knowledge gap, Phase3D is expected to provide high-quality, objective data on the process. This is all in the hope that CSAM can produce large parts and repair or reclad existing parts quickly for the Department of Defence (DoD).

The Chicago-based start-up will adapt its Fringe in-situ inspection system to monitor CSAM deposits to ensure uniform material deposition. Phase3D will utilise its Fringe system as well as pre-existing research conducted with other collaborators including VRC Metals as the basis of the project. The company hope to produce the same level of quality of its quantitative height maps for the metal powder deposited onto the substrate, while also providing an intuitive visualisation platform for technicians and engineers.

Improved repeatable, quantifiable, and objective data is needed to increase adoption and use cases in advanced manufacturing. If the project goes as planned, Phase3D will be able to present a full solution of in-situ monitoring for CSAM, which will present growth opportunities.

The main goals of the project are:

  • To validate a working concept of structured light measurements on a CSAM system
  • To demonstrate the full solution for real-time quality monitoring to support recladding, repair, and reinforcement.
  • And Phase3D hope the project will provide a basis for the creation of specifications and printing guidelines for CSAM.