ALABAMA
Adaptive Laser Beam for additive manufacturing. In additive manufacturing (AM), challenges like porosity and inconsistent micro-structure persist, hindering industrial applications. In this context, the EU-funded ALABAMA project emerges as a beacon of innovation. ALABAMA aims to refine adaptive laser technologies for AM processes, shaping laser beams both spatially and temporally. By doing so, it seeks to lower porosity and tailor material micro-structure with precision. Through the development of advanced physics-based models and real-time monitoring, ALABAMA strives to optimize the AM process. This initiative comes at a crucial juncture, as industries like aviation, maritime and automotive grapple with distortions, stresses and quality control. ALABAMA’s comprehensive approach promises to revolutionize manufacturing, offering increased productivity, reduced defects and a sustainable path forward for European industry.
Project Goals
The ALABAMA project aims to develop and mature adaptive laser technologies for AM. The objective is to lower decrease the porosity and to tailor the micro-structure of the deposited material by shaping the laser beam, both temporally and spatially, during the AM process. The key innovations in the project are to develop multi-scale physics-based models to enable optimization of the AM process. These process parameters will be tested and matured for multi-beam control, laser beam shaping optics and high-speed scanning. To ensure the quality of the process, advanced online process monitoring and closed loop control will be performed using multi spectral imaging and thermography to control the melt pool behavior coupled with wire-current and high-speed imaging to control the process. To verify that the built material fulfills the requirements, advanced characterization will be conducted on coupons and on use-cases.
The matured technology will be tested on three use-cases; aviation, maritime and automotive. These three industrial sectors span a broad part of the manufacturing volumes: from low numbers with high added value, to high numbers with relatively low cost. However, all these sectors struggle with distortions, stresses and material quality. The ALABAMA use-case demonstrators will improve the compensation for distortions during the AM process, reduce the build failures due to residual stresses, reduce porosity and improve tailoring of the micro-structure. Overall, this will contribute to up to 100% increase in process productivity, 50% less defects, 33% cost reduction due to increased productivity and energy savings, a reduction of 15% in greenhouse gases and enable first time-right manufacturing thanks to simulation, process monitoring and adaptive control.
The end users will insert the technologies while the sub-technologies developed in the work packages will be commercialized. This will increase the autonomy for a resilient European industry.
VMAP Related Developments
The project intends to evaluate interface & data format standards in collaboration with related standardization communities, with focus on standards and their extensions for adaptive DED-LB/M processes, materials, and virtual design.
Project Timeline
January 2024 - December 2027
Project Partners
Funding
The Project is being funded under the 'HORIZON.2.4 - Digital, Industry and Space' Call. The grant agreement ID for the project is 101138842.
Project News
External Links