Additive manufacturing (AM) offers distinctive advantages over conventional subtractive manufacturing processes such as machining. For example, AM can produce complex high-performance components that are otherwise impossible to make. However, metal components produced by AM frequently have microscopic structural defects such as porosity. Through wide consultation with the AM industry, we have identified that the primary challenge in non-destructive quality evaluation of AM components is the detection and characterization of these fine porosity distributions. The project will deliver an integrated solution to this problem, by combining CSIRO’s leading-edge data-constrained modelling (DCM) and materials modelling technologies with industrial X-ray CT equipment. This will allow quality certification of AM components for critical applications, boosting the competitive advantage of Australian industry. The technology developed can be adapted to other industries such as mineral exploration.

The Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (DIIS) has granted CSIRO and the partners a Global Innovation Linkage (GIL) project on “non-destructive quality evaluation for additive-manufactured components”, to develop a novel and streamlined Xander-Q system to address the above challenges. More information about the Xander-Q software system is available at https://data.csiro.au/collections/collection/CIcsiro:47707 and its development at https://data.csiro.au/collections/collection/CIcsiro:47708.

The project partners include: