Phase3D has released two new large-format Fringe Inspection Systems for metal additive manufacturing.
The new Large Format Fringe Inspection and Large Format Fringe Inspection Hi-Rez systems extend Phase3D’s in-situ inspection technology to support large-format metal additive manufacturing platforms, such as the EOS M 400 series of printers and the Nikon SLM NXG product line. Both can be retrofitted to additional machines with build areas up to 600 x 600 millimetres.
Fringe Inspection is Phase3D's in-situ structured light inspection system and has been designed to deliver unit-based, quantitative measurements during the additive process. Using structured light projection and proprietary calibration, the system is said to achieve ±10 µm vertical accuracy, 60 µm spatial resolution, and repeatability of 5 µm at the calibration plane. These measurements provide real-time insight into layer height, deposition consistency, and melt surface quality, all critical for detecting anomalies such as short feeds, chatter, protrusions, over-melting, and recoater interference.
Expanded Capability for Large-Format Systems Phase3D now offers two configurations tailored to the needs of large-format additive users:
· Large Format Fringe Inspection – 100 µm pixel size for production environments
· Large Format Fringe Inspection Hi-Rez – 60 µm pixel size for advanced, data-driven R&D
Both configurations provide full build plate coverage for large laser powder bed fusion systems while maintaining NIST-traceable calibration and optimised performance for speed, repeatability, and integration flexibility.
Phase3D has recently published results showing a causal link between in-situ layerwise surface roughness measurements and specimen density, enabling immediate prediction of final part quality based on porosity. This discovery allows manufacturers to connect in-situ data directly to part integrity and accelerate qualification workflows with confidence.
The Large-Format Fringe Inspection Systems introduce a new capability for efficient delta qualification across additive manufacturing platforms. Using deterministic heightmap data, AM users can now compare print and part quality between single- and multi-laser systems of different brands and build sizes without requiring full requalification campaigns.
This approach enables organisations to demonstrate process equivalency and machine conformance through direct, unit-based measurement, significantly reducing qualification timelines and costs. The result is a path toward cross-platform qualification, allowing production to move seamlessly between machines while maintaining assurance of dimensional and material integrity.
According to a Phase3D press release, an aerospace prime contractor has adopted the large-format system to address challenges in CT scanning of large, dense metal components, a process often limited by material attenuation and geometry. By using Fringe Inspection, the customer is leveraging in-situ height-based data to verify build quality and mitigate CT requirements. In the next phase, the same dataset will support qualification and certification efforts, correlating layer-wise measurement data with mechanical performance and ensuring compliance with standards such as SAE AMS7032.
“Scaling Fringe Inspection to large-format systems demonstrates our commitment to enabling qualification through direct measurement, not inference,” said Dr. Niall O’Dowd, Founder and CEO of Phase3D. “Aerospace manufacturers are realising that in-situ data with units, accurate to microns, can replace the uncertainty of post-build inspection. This is how qualification moves from months to minutes.”
