Admatec, a Dutch specialist in ceramic and metal 3D printing, recently announced a new process monitoring system for ceramic and metal additive manufacturing. The new offering consists of a vision-based system that provides users with full documentation and traceability throughout the AM production process.

The new process monitoring system is designed for Admatec’s ADMAFLEX technology, an SLA-style approach that integrates a patented method for transporting ceramic and metal-filled 3D printing resin using a foil roll. The 3D printing technology, available in both ceramic and metal configurations, is capable of reaching print speeds of 25 mm per hour (depending on the material).

With its new process monitoring system, Admatec is increasingly the reliability and traceability of its 3D printing technology, making it increasingly viable for demanding industries like the aerospace, biomedical and aesthetic sectors.

As Admatec COO Jaco Saurwalt said: “Our customers are now able to trace back each step of the print with additional log files that work as proof of the AM process particularly needed for biomedical and aerospace applications.”

The system itself offers Admatec customers a higher degree of user control through features like layer detection, foil movement monitoring and time-lapse videos. Notably, the Dutch company says the process monitoring system can be easily installed and used with its products thanks to the 3D printers’ patented feedstock system.

In a print job, the process monitoring system is reportedly capable of identifying if one unit within a batch of parts has been compromised at any point without interrupting the overall print. For instance, if 180 parts are being printed at once and one fails, the system will detect the flawed component while continuing to monitor and finalize the remaining components. According to the company, a more traditional approach, such as VAT, would result in a full batch of failed parts in this case.