Although LPBF of metals has become a core technology in the production of complex metal parts, it’s not without its problems. Rigid laser beam profiles and insufficient process monitoring can introduce defects and halt production, resulting in waste and increased energy consumption. Over the past three years, the consortium behind the EU-funded research project InShaPe has developed a process optimization approach that combines AI-based beam shaping with multispectral imaging in the laser-based powder bed fusion of metals (PBF-LB/M) additive manufacturing process. The project aimed to significantly improve the efficiency, economic feasibility, and sustainability of this manufacturing process. The team has now reported a sixfold increase in productivity, halved production costs, and improved component quality. The project partners report successfully trialing these innovations in five complex industrial demonstrators in the aerospace industry, the energy sector, and mechanical engineering. The additive manufacturing process developed through project InShaPe was used to produce parts of an aerospace combustion chamber made of copper alloy. Courtesy of TU Munich/Frederik Watzka. Addressing the challenges facing the application, the consortium members researched an approach that combines AI-based beam shaping and multispectral imaging for a vastly improved additive manufacturing process. The method specifically adapts the laser beam profile to the component, its geometry, and material, thereby improving component quality and speeding up processing. This avoids issues like cracking, spatter, and condensate that would otherwise result in reworking requirements and/or create waste. The researchers found that a ring-shaped beam profile — in combination with optimized scanning strategies — works particularly well for a diverse range of applications. Rather than using a Gaussian beam, they modulated the beam to distribute its intensity in a ring-shaped profile to generate the melt pool. This produces a more stable melt zone and more even material processing. In parallel, the multispectral imaging system captures signals in various wavelength ranges and monitors the PBF-LB/M process in real time. This way, thermal changes in the melt pool can be detected at an early stage. Recorded data flow directly into the process management. Defects that previously brought production to a halt or required pieces to be reworked can now be corrected, allowing the process to continue without major delays. In a range of industrial applications, the researchers achieved productivity gains of more than 600% percent, including manufacturing rates of up to 93.3 cm³/h in components using Inconel 718, a nickel-chromium-based superalloy frequently used in aerospace applications. The starting manufacturing rate was 15 cm³/h. At the same time, the consortium slashed costs by 50%, hitting an important project target. The project partners demonstrated the beam shaping and MSI innovation in five industrial applications: an impeller for aerospace, an industrial gas turbine part, part of a combustion chamber used in space, a chainsaw motor cylinder head, and components for satellite antennas used in space communication. The project was led by the Professorship of Laser-based Additive Manufacturing at the Technical University of Munich and included 10 other partners across eight countries. Funded by the European Union, InShaPe received €7.2 million ( approximately $8.5 million) from the Horizon Europe framework program.
