Development of a Low Cost Imaging System for a Laser Metal Deposition Process

The size of the melt pool created by the laser is one of the most important quality characteristic in a laser metal deposition process. This paper discusses the development of a low-cost vision system to automatically determine the size of the melt pool for in-process control. To cope with the intense infrared signal from the laser and melt pool, external ultraviolet illumination is paired with narrow bandpass filters on a usb microscope to achieve a clear image of the melt pool. The sensitivity of the melt pool to changes in system parameters and various substrate materials are also evaluated.