In-Process Sensing

The Future of QA/QC in Advanced Manufacturing Speed, smarter sensors, and the human-in-the-loop advantage As reshoring, reinvestment, and rapid innovation reshape North American manufacturing, one area is emerging as a cornerstone of competitiveness: quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC). Manufacturers are facing unprecedented pressure to get products to market faster, operate efficiently, and ensure uncompromising...

EWI is currently conducting an applied R&D program to help small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) use Industry 4.0 concepts and tools to improve operations. Recent work has resulted in the development of a system that can acquire, visualize, inspect, and analyze low- and high-frequency data collected from precision sensors to check the quality of machined...

Errors that occur during large-scale additive manufacturing (AM) builds can be prohibitively expensive for manufacturers. Current in-line inspection methods are inefficient, but damaged and distorted end products waste too much time, material, and money. How can in-process inspection be optimized to improve productivity and ensure quality? EWI investigated this question using the laser-blown powder DED...