Phase3D has successfully installed its Fringe Inspection™ system at HRL Laboratories as part of the DARPA-funded SPARES program (Surrogate‐accelerated, Physics‐guided Assessment for the Reliability of Structures).
The deployment marks a key milestone in the SPARES initiative, which brings together a coalition of leading organizations—including Boeing, Purdue University, and the University of Utah—under the broader umbrella of DARPA’s SURGE program (Structures Uniquely Resolved to Guarantee Endurance). The effort aims to enable non-destructive qualification of metal parts by combining physics-based simulation, AI-driven surrogate modeling, and real-time process monitoring.
Layer-by-Layer Insight for Predictive Qualification
Phase3D’s Fringe Inspection™ provides a layer-resolved, in-situ monitoring capability that captures surface topology during every layer of the metal 3D printing process. Installed on a Renishaw 500Q system, this advanced structured light system delivers high-resolution height maps, allowing for the early detection of defects and deviations in process stability.
The system feeds real-time build data into SPARES’ surrogate modeling framework, enabling predictions on fatigue life and structural performance—a departure from traditional post-process testing approaches.
“Fringe Inspection™ plays a critical role in SPARES by supplying the objective, layer-resolved data that drives predictive qualification,” the company noted. “This represents a fundamental shift away from post-process analysis. With Fringe Inspection™, engineers can evaluate part integrity before it ever leaves the machine.”
This installation is also a prelude to the Fringe Inspection 500 Kit product launch, expected in late July 2025, aimed at enabling broader integration across Renishaw platforms for real-time quality control.
SPARES: A Paradigm Shift for Metal AM
The SPARES initiative is a response to the manufacturing sector’s urgent need to scale metal additive manufacturing while maintaining strict safety and reliability standards. Traditional inspection methods rely heavily on destructive testing, which is time-consuming, expensive, and wasteful—particularly for high-value applications in aerospace, defense, and automotive.
By introducing a data-driven, non-destructive approach, SPARES demonstrates that predictive qualification is not only feasible but scalable. The integration of technologies like Fringe Inspection™ enhances confidence in AM part integrity and shortens time-to-certification.
Phase3D’s collaboration with HRL Laboratories reinforces its position at the forefront of intelligent process monitoring, offering manufacturers a more efficient, traceable, and accurate path to quality assurance in metal AM.
