Sigma Labs, Inc., a provider of quality assurance software under the PrintRite3D® brand, was named a member of the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) located at Ansty Park, Coventry, UK. Membership of the MTC enables Sigma Labs to share and provide expertise and solutions for a number of the Centre’s projects and also network with the Centre’s existing members, including some of the UK’s leading aerospace companies.
The MTC was established as part of the UK government’s national manufacturing strategy with the aim of bridging the gap between academic discoveries and real-time industry innovation. It houses some of the most advanced manufacturing equipment in the world, providing integrated manufacturing system solutions for customers across sectors that include automotive, aerospace, rail, construction/civil engineering, oil & gas and defense.
John Rice, CEO of Sigma Labs, said, “The MTC manufacturing research center model uses public and private funding to bring academia and industry together, to pursue challenging, industrially relevant development projects. As a member of the MTC, Sigma Labs will extend its industry footprint further into the exciting research and commercialization in additive manufacturing today. With Europe at the forefront of many innovative and major developments in the metal AM industry, we believe this agreement, our second major research alliance with a European center of excellence, holds great promise for us and the future of AM. We look forward to interacting with the other member companies in the MTC, and particularly to collaborating with researchers at the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing to demonstrate the capabilities and potential of the PrintRite3D® INSPECT®technology.”
MTC technology director Ken Young said, “I am delighted to welcome Sigma Labs to the MTC community. Quality assurance in additive manufacturing is a critical topic that requires significant attention. Gaining insights into the part quality during the additive manufacturing build process reduces effort for post-build inspection and ultimately provides the foundation for closed loop process control for improved robustness. Sigma Labs’ advanced capabilities on this topic will provide expertise for a number of the MTC’s projects and network with our membership base, focusing on qualification and certification of the additive manufacturing process.”
Sigma Labs will install its PrintRite3D® INSPECT® In-Process Quality Monitoring and Control technology at the MTC’s National Centre for Additive Manufacturing and participate in various member-sponsored programs with a focus on qualification and certification of the additive manufacturing process.
PrintRite3D® INSPECT®, which comprises software for in-process inspection of metallurgical properties, uses sensor data and establishes in-process metrics for each product’s design specifications and metal. It provides manufacturing engineers with information in real time that can permit them to avert a part that is beginning to display discontinuities from going on to become a rejected part. INSPECT® also generates quality reports based on rigorous statistical analysis of manufacturing process data and allows for interrogation of suspect part data that can be used for process improvement and optimization.