Eddy Current Sensor Probe Design for Subsurface Defect Detection in Additive Manufacturing

Pore and crack formation in parts produced by additive manufacturing (AM) processes, such as laser powder bed fusion, is one of the issues associated with AM technology. Surface and subsurface cracks and pores are induced during the printing process, undermining the printed part durability. In-situ detection of defects will enable the real-time or intermittent control of the process, resulting in higher product quality. In this paper, a new eddy current-based probe design is proposed to detect these defects in parts with various defects that mimic pores and cracks in additively manufactured parts. Electromagnetic finite element analyses were carried out to optimize the probe geometry, followed by fabricating a prototype. Artificial defects were seeded in stainless steel plates to assess the feasibility of detecting various flaws with different widths and lengths. The smallest defect detected had a 0.17 mm radius for blind holes and a 0.43 mm notch with a 5 mm length. All the defects were 0.5 mm from the surface, and the probe was placed on the back surface of the defects. The surface roughness of the tested samples was less than 2 µm. The results show promise for detecting defects, indicating a potential application in AM.