Get to Know Assure: Assessing the Benefits of Velo3D’s Quality Assurance Software
In the fast-paced world of metal additive manufacturing (AM), the need for meticulous quality assurance is paramount. Velo3D’s revolutionary quality control system, Assure, rises to the challenge, seamlessly integrating with Sapphire printers and Flow software.
Assure enables unparalleled visibility into every layer of the build through real-time, multi-sensor monitoring, transforming the 3D printing process from what some consider a “black box” into a controlled, transparent operation.
Delving Deeper into the Capabilities of Assure
Before any print job, Assure dutifully oversees Sapphire’s ‘pre-flight’ checks for each build. It ensures that machine performance aligns with specified standards, paving the way for reliable, high-quality print outcomes.
Throughout the build, Assure further intensifies its vigilance, validating critical parameters such as powder bed health, consumables, chamber atmosphere, and optics.
With the ability to monitor nearly 1,000 different readings, Assure confirms that Sapphire printers are primed and ready to perform, consistently maintaining specification adherence during the print.
Pre-build System Calibration
Before the print job even begins, Assure jumps into action, examining machine health and readiness. It monitors crucial elements like optics, sensors, consumables, and powder bed quality, displaying the data directly on the dashboard for all printers.
This all-encompassing snapshot allows users to understand if their printer is in optimal condition for the upcoming build. Assure’s comprehensive ‘pre-flight’ check confirms that all parameters are set within the specified range, providing an added layer of assurance.
Real-time Monitoring and Alerts
One of Assure’s standout features is its capacity to deliver real-time monitoring of a Sapphire machine’s quality and progress. Using secure, on-site servers, Assure keeps engineers constantly in the loop about their build. It diligently validates critical parameters during the build process, ensuring everything stays within spec, from powder bed health to optics.
Detailed Build Report
Assure goes beyond just overseeing the printing process; it provides a detailed account of each operation. Upon completion of every print job, Assure automatically generates a comprehensive build report. This critical document offers full traceability of system performance and any predicted part defects during the build.
It can form the foundation of a Certificate of Compliance, making Assure a pivotal tool in meeting industry compliance requirements, such as API 20S, a standard published by the American Petroleum Institute (API) that specifies requirements for qualification of additively manufactured metallic components used in the petroleum and natural gas industries.
The standard was published in 2021 and provides a framework for manufacturers to qualify their additive manufacturing processes and ensure that the resulting components meet the required quality standards.
Read this case study to learn how Velo3D helped IMI Critical Engineering validate metal AM part repeatability and scalability for customers in the oil & gas industry.
Comprehensive and Secure Data Storage
In today’s digital age, data security and storage are critical. Assure addresses this by offering robust data storage solutions. It keeps build files secure, storing them locally on the Assure server. Yet it also offers flexibility, allowing data offloading and storage in the customer’s preferred location through the Assure API.
The software even provides configurable storage retention times, ensuring that your storage system stays optimally organized by automatically clearing space occupied by older builds.
Assure equips engineers with a profound understanding of the AM process, addressing and simplifying compliance requirements across diverse industries. Its automatic generation of detailed build reports makes part qualification easier and facilitates AM’s transition into mass production.
With full traceability of system performance and intricate insights into observed interrupts and deviations during the print, Assure arms users with the control and confidence needed for consistently exceptional 3D printing outcomes.
Speak with a Velo3D engineer to learn more about Assure and our fully integrated metal additive manufacturing solution.
