Cyber Enabled Direct Digital Manufacturing

Abstract : Developments related to interfacing, sensing, and control of cyber-physical systems that occurred under the Office of Naval Research Cyber Enabled Direct Digital Manufacturing program, award N00014-11-1-0668 are discussed. Achievements include the development of a digital thread concept for AM. This concept advanced efforts towards a universal schema for communicating data relevant to AM processes. Taking advantage of the developed schema, direct interfacing of build-plan with finite element simulations was enabled. Additionally, sensing strategies were demonstrated, including optical emission spectroscopy for defect detection, and powder flow monitoring for flow anomaly detection. Real-time control of build plan was also demonstrated and found to significantly impact microstructure and mechanical properties of the deposited Ti-6AI-4V components. A final notable achievement is the invention of a novel method for deposition of directed-energy-deposited high-overhanging structures.