AM is unique in offering freedom from traditional manufacturing constraints, enabling designs to meet engineering requirements without sacrificing part strength or performance. Simulation can play an important role in additive manufacturing by generating a functional design, generating lattice structures to locally tailor mechanical properties, calibrating the material, optimizing the manufacturing process parameters, and validating in-service performance.

Through simulation, Cetim-Matcor will be able to predict print outcomes, based on the material properties, additive process parameters and geometry, and can be used to validate upfront engineering work or help optimize processes by visually representing design errors before they occur during printing: this revolutionizes the costly and time-consuming trial-and-error traditional approach.

As additive manufacturing gains more momentum in industrial adoption, there is an increase in demand for different type of materials that can be processed. It is crucial for the feedstock material and the manufacturing process to be perfectly aligned, in order to ensure the utmost consistency and quality. Most notably, the powder properties must be very tightly controlled in order to achieved the desired quality, reliability and accuracy of AM parts and their material properties. Every feedstock needs to be characterized by specific properties that support the profile required by the end product. Cetim-Matcor offers standardized or specifically adapted tests according to your demands for the feedstock characterisation.

With various distinct AM process categories, an ever-growing base of AM-compatible materials and a large range of process inputs, formulating the right parameters for your application requires a level of qualified expertise that is not broadly available. Material specific ‘one size fits all’ approach is currently not possible in additive manufacturing and hence, meeting the qualifications for each new application is a real challenge. Cetim-Matcor can work with you to develop your technology and industrialise your unique process goals.

Significant investments are being made in R&D initiatives to manufacture high-performance AM parts. These programmes generate very large amounts of data on materials, process parameters, testing, and part qualification to understand the complex and varied interactions between part design, materials, production processes, and part performance. At the same time, many large companies are responding to competition by digitizing their supply chain, manufacturing processes, parts, and in-service data. Data is captured throughout the product lifecycle and analysed for opportunities to decrease development time, which drastically improves efficiency and innovation.

Furthermore, the quality of built products is critical in aerospace and medical applications, where failing parts can be a serious threat. Currently the predominant way of quality assurance is post-process investigation. However, major drawback is that the part might get rejected after the entire build process finished, leading to wasted material and time.

Real-time online monitoring would allow one to identify defects at an early stage and even potentially adjust parameters during the build process for corrective purposes, or to cancel it to save time and resources. The overall framework drives process and part qualification, enabling reduced post-processing NDE operations and therefore costs. Cetim-Matcor can help you develop a consistent monitoring system to improve part quality control, by suggesting monitoring strategies of key process metrics and conducting advanced analysis of the generated data.

Defect detection in additive manufacturing is of paramount importance to improve the reliability of products. During additive manufacturing processes several types of minute defects can occur such as porosity, cracking, and lack of fusion, which can lead to critical failure at any moment. The main challenges are a lack of standards and methods, the types and location of defects, and the complex geometry of many parts.

Cetim-Matcor is able to use multiple techniques such as dye penetrant testing, Computed Tomography (CT) and magnetic particle inspection to provide complementary information to critically evaluate the integrity of the parts. This approach is fundamental for improving the reliability of defect detection, which will help expand the potential for using AM to produce parts for critical structural applications.

Main developments in AM standardization are also related to the impact of defect size and morphology on part properties, acceptable surface roughness for testing and more. With our expert Benoît Verquin, in ISO/TC 261, Cetim-Matcor’s research is heavily involved in standardisation and produces deliverables such as reference data and open research papers which form the basis of new norms for AM. We have already directed projects on Laser-Powder Bed Fusion and Metal Binder Jetting for that purpose and Cetim-Matcor will continue to provide our expertise in this area.

With research and development done at different stages of the Metal AM value chain, Cetim-Matcor has the proficiency in the Life Cycle Assessments of different AM processes and are able to provide our expertise on the impact of producing parts with AM on the environment.

Consulting is the heart of Cetim-Matcor’s expertise. Based on the experience and expertise from industrial research projects conducted with many industrial partners, our consultants work to bring new solutions for companies interesting in leveraging additive manufacturing technologies for their projects.

As various industries discover the benefits of additive manufacturing, its adoption grows and so do their challenges. One major challenge is that organisations familiar with producing their parts using subtractive production methods understand the regulatory requirements of the final part, but are not familiar with the unique challenges of AM processes. Conversely despite being familiar with AM-specific challenges, AM service providers are not always aware of the regulatory aspects across different industries that ensure the parts produced can then be placed on the market and put into service.

Emerging industry standards, a broad spectrum of quality requirements and rapid technology developments are best met with fresh knowledge and deep insights, especially when it comes to regulated sectors and high-end applications. By offering role-based tailored training (online and offline), Cetim academy offers its expertise to maximise the learning efficiency and the experience of your team to release the full potential of additive manufacturing:

• Additive manufacturing : Metal, polymer, ceramic processes & applications
• Design process for metal additive manufacturing
• Additive Manufacturing: How to Integrate it Into Your Production
• Qualification of Additive Manufacturing Process
• Control & Post-Processing
• Additive Manufacturing Consultancy Services: Leading to Qualifications & Production
• Additive manufacturing: which post-treatments to implement?
• Master the control of parts made in metal additive manufacturing