Dual Scan head approach for in-situ defect detection in laser powder bed fusion of metals - Dataset

This HDF5-dataset contains thermographic data from a study on in-situ defect detection in the Laser Powder Bed Fusion of Metals (PBF-LB/M) process. The data was collected using a novel experimental setup named Synchronized Path Infrared Thermography (SPIT), which employs a dual scan head configuration. One scan head directs the processing laser, while the second scan head positions the measurement field of an infrared (IR) camera. This setup allows for the precise analysis of the cooling behavior of the material decoupled from the immediate laser-material interaction zone.
The experiments were conducted on pre-fabricated stainless steel (EOS StainlessSteel PH1, DIN 14540) samples with embedded, cylindrical subsurface defects of varying diameters.  A single layer of metal powder was applied to these samples and then fused by the laser. The dataset includes a series of measurements where process parameters, specifically the volumetric energy density and the laser scanning speed, were systematically varied to assess their influence on defect detection reliability.

The provided data consists of raw thermographic recordings, which capture the surface temperature distribution in the heat-affected zone behind the melt pool.  These recordings can be used to identify localized areas of elevated temperature caused by the insulating effect of the subsurface defects, which impede heat transfer into the substrate.  This dataset is valuable for researchers working on process monitoring, defect detection algorithms, and the validation of thermal simulations in additive manufacturing.