Real-time additive manufacturing defect mitigation in space environment using pulsed thermography

Additive manufacturing (AM) parts while in space offers a distinct advantage over adversaries by providing the ability to quickly create parts on-the-fly to meet mission needs. Current AM techniques validate the quality of a part after a build is complete by using non-destructive testing. If a part is deemed as having insufficient quality, then the part is classified as waste material and rebuilt. This approach can produce a significant amount of wasted material, of which are extremely limited in space application. Spectral Energies, LLC and Prof. Nathan Crane (Brigham Young University) propose a compact device that can be easily implemented into AM devices that senses and detects defects produced during the build in real-time by using a combination of pulsed thermography and fast-processing algorithms that may include machine learning routines. When a defect is detected, corrective actions are determined and then implemented to ensure the part maintains high quality before continuing the build. This device will significantly increase AM capability, particularly for Space Force applications, by ensuring the AM part has sufficient quality once the build is complete without requiring additional non-destructive testing.