Additive Manufacturing Layer Defect Identification and Analysis Using Mask Template

A method for assessing a quality of a build including one or more build structures fabricated by an additive manufacturing machine, the method comprising steps of:

• comparing, via one or more computer processors, respective threshold values to brightness levels of pixels within each of respective tile regions of a first virtual masked build layer, the virtual masked build layer including a mask template and a digital image of a first build layer of the build;
• marking, virtually via the one or more computer processors, each tile region of the virtual masked build layer in which a brightness level of a pixel of the digital image exceeds the corresponding one of the threshold values for each of the tile regions;
• and
• repeating, via the one or more computer processors, the comparing and marking steps for successive virtual masked build layers corresponding to build layers of the build lying over the first build layer, each of the tile regions of each of the virtual masked build layers having a corresponding tile location with a tile region of each of the other virtual masked build layers;
• determining, via the one or more computer processors, a tile location value for each tile location, the tile location value being defined as the number of times a pair of the marked tile regions having the same tile location correspond to sequentially formed build layers;
• identifying, via the one or more computer processors, the tile location having the highest tile location value;
• and
• based on the identifying step, modifying a machine setting of an additive manufacturing machine to adjust the processing of build layers at locations that correspond to the tile location having the highest tile location value.

A method for assessing a quality of a build including one or more build structures fabricated by an additive manufacturing machine, the method comprising steps of:

• comparing, via one or more computer processors, respective threshold values to brightness levels of pixels within each of respective tile regions of a first virtual masked build layer, the virtual masked build layer including a mask template and a digital image of a first build layer of the build;
• marking, virtually via the one or more computer processors, each tile region of the virtual masked build layer in which a brightness level of a pixel of the digital image exceeds the corresponding one of the threshold values for each of the tile regions;
• and
• repeating, via the one or more computer processors, the comparing and marking steps for successive virtual masked build layers corresponding to build layers of the build lying over the first build layer, each of the tile regions of each of the virtual masked build layers having a corresponding tile location with a tile region of each of the other virtual masked build layers;
• and
• identifying, via the one or more computer processors, all tile locations at which the number of marked tile regions having the same tile location exceeds a preset tile location marking value;
• and
• based on the identifying step, modifying a machine setting of an additive manufacturing machine to adjust the processing of build layers at locations that correspond to the one or more tile locations at which the number of marked tile regions having the same tile location exceeds the preset tile location marking value.