Experiments with Near-Field Microwave Imaging for Powder Bed Fusion Metal Additive Manufacturing

Experiments to evaluate the use of Near-Field Microwave (NFMW) imaging for the Powder Bed Fusion quality control are here reported. A NFMW sensor was employed together with general purpose instrumentation to perform measurements over a stainless steel 316 sample produced by laser PBF. Although with limited sensitivity, results showed that NFMW sensors can be used to evaluate the proper layer consolidation while relying on the electrical conductivity difference between powder and consolidated metal. Results also highlight the sensor high spatial resolution, well appreciated for PBF layer-wise imaging.