Sigma Additive Solutions, Novanta Create Fully Integrated Scan Head With Quality Assurance

Sigma Additive Solutions, a developer of quality assurance software for commercial 3D printing, has partnered with Novanta to make quality assurance a standard part of the optical train in additive manufacturing (AM). Novanta is a global supplier of laser photonics, precision motion control and vision technologies for advanced industrial OEMs, including AM applications.
 
Novanta’s Firefly 3D scan head positions real-time monitoring as a standard, enabling Sigma’s data analytics and quality assurance software suite. The next-generation, 3-axis scan head designed for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) machines enables OEMs instant access to process monitoring with Sigma’s analytics suite. Additionally, it provides end-use customers in the field, agnostic of the OEM, the ability to implement monitoring solutions across machine fleets without complicated retrofits to optical trains.
 
This technology offers a 200-KHz data acquisition rate, enabling the potential for closed-loop control and laser correction that Sigma’s technology has already demonstrated. It is said the solution easily scales to add additional scan heads to OEM machine design to attain the benefits of multiscanner architectures up to 100% field overlap. Single, dual, quad and multirow setups can boost machines’ productivity to mass produce high fidelity parts with the benefit of Sigma’s quality assurance solutions’ support. 

“Quality and corresponding cost of quality is one of the greatest barriers to industrialized scale of this technology,” says Jacob Brunsberg, Sigma Additive Solutions CEO. “Today, we have taken a big stride in breaking down this wall, providing access to an agnostic analytics and monitoring solution integrated with scan head technology. This value-add is expected to speed up OEM implementation, while providing solid benefit to additive producers. We are focused on decreasing the cost of quality by shortening development and qualification time, increasing production quality, and decreasing the need for postprocess inspection for end users.”

Novanta’s laser processing solutions has benefited OEMs in the medical and advanced industrial technology markets. “Adding real-time monitoring to our scan head sets a new standard for the industry and enables increased quality control of our high-performance laser beam steering solutions,” says Simon Matthias, product manager for Novanta.
 
Sigma Additive Solutions will be hosting a partner area at Formnext in Frankfurt, Germany, Nov. 15-18, to highlight this joint solution at Hall 12.0 Booth C139.