ABSTRACT
Coaxial monitoring of the Direct Energy Deposition (DED) machines enables a real-time material deposition study. Coaxial-images contain substantial melt-pool information and incorporate situational information including the sparks' intensity, numbers, etc. Recent studies have shown that melt-pool observations correlate directly with machine parameters and artifact properties. Therefore, the melt-pool information not only can assist in measuring the machine's working condition and determining machine operation parameters' reliability but also facilitates the deposition characteristics studies like print's regime and dimensions. This information is gathered during the fabrication and can be expanded to perform various process studies and fault registration. This paper utilizes the Optomec DED machine to fabricate single-track prints with multiple process parameters, while a coaxial camera records the deposition. Each deposited track is then cut perpendicular to the print's direction to facilitate process parameters correlation study with actual geometrical deposition measured using a microscope. The coaxial images taken during fabrication, along with their process parameters, cross-cut measurements, and a developed image-processing toolbox, are presented alongside this paper to empower future research directions.
