Method and device for evaluating the quality of a component produced by means of an additive laser sintering and/or laser melting method

A method for evaluating the quality of a component produced by an additive laser sintering and/or laser melting method, in real time, comprising the steps of:

• providing a construction platform;
• providing an additive laser manufacturing device including a laser;
• providing a powdered material on the construction platform;
• melting the powdered material with the laser;
• solidifying the powdered material into a layer of a machine component to be manufactured on the construction platform at an associated component location of the machine component by the additive laser manufacturing device;
• providing a thermographic capture device including a high-resolution camera configured and arranged for capturing IR radiation;
• capturing an image of the layer by the thermographic capture device;
• obtaining a first data set, from the image captured by the thermographic capture device, which comprises spatially resolved color values, which each characterize the temperature of the component at the associated component location during the laser sintering and/or laser melting of the machine component;
• providing a second data set, which comprises a second set of spatially resolved color values corresponding to the first data set, said second set of spatially resolved color values each characterizing the temperature of a reference component at an associated reference component location during a laser sintering and/or a laser melting of the reference component;
• comparing the first data set from the captured images from the machine component with the second data set of the values associated with the referenced component;
• determining a difference between the first data set and the second data set by:
• a comparison between at least one histogram of the component and at least one corresponding histogram of the reference component;
• a cross correlation of the first and second data sets;
• an autocorrelation of the first data set and/or the second data set;
• a breakdown of the first and/or the second data set into harmonic components;
• and
• a determination of at least one line center of gravity and/or at least one surface area center of gravity and/or a volume center of gravity of the component and/or of the reference component;
• setting a value for the maximum acceptable difference between the first data set and the second data set;
• evaluating the quality of the component on the basis of the difference between the first data set and the second data set;
• if the difference between the first data set and the second data set does not exceed the value for the maximum acceptable difference, a further layer of the machine component is formed;
• and
• if the difference between the first data set and the second data set exceeds the value for the maximum acceptable difference, the machine component is discarded,
• wherein the first data set or the second data set comprise at least 1 million spatially resolved color values.