An Innovative Mass Spectrometer to Simplify Materials Characterization for Additive Manufacturing

Exum Instruments’ Massbox is a single analytical instrument that offers rapid, high-sensitivity measurements of additive manufacturing (AM) feedstock powders and printed parts. Determining chemical composition for any manufactured material is critical to understanding and predicting a part’s performance. Current methods of chemical characterization are difficult and time-consuming, requiring multiple analytical instruments, complicated operational and calibration procedures, and trained experts. As a result, materials engineers often rely on external laboratories for chemical analyses which can cost up to $1,000 per sample with wait times of days to weeks. The Massbox combines trace-level detection capabilities for virtually the entire periodic table, including major metallic elements, residual elements at trace (i.e., parts-per-million and lower) levels, and low-mass elements in a single analytical session with intuitive operations. Under this proposed Phase II project, Exum will build on Phase I R&D effort through long-term testing and evaluation of the Massbox’s performance and analytical capabilities. This includes further development of its chemical mapping capabilities to quantitatively evaluate local chemistry variations and heterogeneity in AM samples as well as establishing test methods for specific AM materials. It will also involve evaluating and improving the instrument’s robustness, reliability, and usability to accelerate adoption by the metal AM industry.